No More Vacations
by FlyingLikeaPhantom
Summary: Alex goes to America to visit Cat, his new girlfriend. MI6 has finally given him a day off...or have they? What happens when a person that Alex thought was gone for good comes back to kidnap him? Will he be able to escape? Or is he trapped for good?
1. A Figure in the Dark

_Hey, howdy, hey! I'm sorry! I couldn't wait any longer for this new story!!! AHHHH! LOL. It's a new Alex Rider story! Yeah! If you haven't read OPERATION: BIG BANG, you may not understand this…so read that one first, please!! Okay so here's chapter one!!!!_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Alex Rider or any of Anthony Horowitz's stuff. I do, however, own Cat, Heather, and Ivan. Some of the "henchmen" in this story I own, but some of the bad guys are still Horowitz's!! Thanks!**_

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Alex bounced impatiently on the couch, his hair bouncing along with him as well. Today was the day! Today was the day he was to go to America to visit his new girlfriend, Cat…and he was so excited. A little too excited for Jack's taste.

"Jack, come on!" Alex yelled impatiently up the stairs. "We're going to miss our flight!"

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" she yelled back down. A crash came from upstairs and had Alex rushing upstairs to see what the problem was. Jack sat on the floor, her suitcase on top of her. Alex couldn't help but laugh at the poor American girl. He extended a strong hand and lifted her up off the ground.

"Jack, you know you can't bring that heavy of a suitcase, don't you?" he giggled.

"It's not that heavy." she defended. "I just tripped over myself." she finished, blushing. Alex stifled a snicker.

"Shut-up." Jack glared at him. She stared up at him wickedly. Alex looked at her in confusion. "Or I just might cancel the trip." she threatened.

"You wouldn't dare!" he laughed.

"Or would I?" she said trying to keep the smirk off her face.

"You need help?"

"Sure."

Alex rolled his eyes and picked up the suitcase off the ground. Alex dashed down the stairs and grabbed his own bags before sprinting out the door. Jack blinked in amazement. That kid was fast. Probably all the training.

Jack sighed at that thought. She really hated that Alex had gotten mixed up in that world. She really did feel bad for him. He would never be able to live a normal life and she knew it. The innocent little boy she had known for years was gone and replaced with a hardened agent. Every time she looked into his eyes, she saw a seriousness in his eyes that no sixteen year old should have. She sighed once more and stepped out the door.

"Jack, come on!" Alex beckoned. He was already in the car and strapped in. Jack rolled her eyes. She slipped into the car and put her own seat belt on.

"Ooops." she smiled. Alex looked at her suspiciously. "I left the keys in the house."

"Jack!" Alex whined.

"I'm just kidding!" she giggled as she took the keys out her pocket. Alex glared at her and lightly poked her ribs. Jack laughed and started the ignition. They were on their way.

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A figure sat in front of a large computer displaying several screens. All the screens were focused on his work and the training sessions going on, except for one screen. That camera was somewhere else entirely, and that's where the figure had directed all his attention.

A young teenaged boy was on the middle screen. The figure's agent had been sent to the house to keep an eye on the boy. A smile came to the man's face as he saw how happy the boy was. Something very exciting must be happening today. The figure leaned forward and zoomed in on the teenager.

He almost laughed at how innocent the child looked on the hidden camera, but he knew different. The figure leaned forward and grabbed a cell phone from his desk. Without taking his eyes off the figure, he dialed in a memorized number. The phone rang once before being answered.

"Watch Dog hear." came the gruff voice.

"Ah, yes, what have you found out about the boy?" came the thickly accented voice.

"He's going somewhere today. Tennessee in the US, I believe."

The gave a grunt and nodded. "Very well, follow them there, and don't let that boy out of your sights."

"Yes, sir."

The figure clicked the phone shut and motioned for the guard behind him. The man obediently came.

"Ready for a trip?"

"A trip?" said the man. "I guess so. Why?"

The figure looked at the screen and smiled. The man nodded in understanding.

"That's why. Where are we going, sir?"

The man looked up from his chair and smiled.

"Tennessee."

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Alex sighed as the plane glided along the air. He hated being in the air, but he guessed it was alright seeing as he was soon to be with Cat again. He smiled at the thought. She was always on his mind now. Always.

"Alex?" Jack asked. "Why are you smiling?"

Jack almost laughed as Alex put down the spy novel. How ironic was that? Alex stared up at her.

"Just thinking about something."

"Cat?"

Alex laughed. "That obvious?"

"You always seem different when she's mentioned or around." she stated.

"How so?" he asked, mildly curious.

"I dunno. More--" she paused and tried to think of a good word. She shrugged her shoulders. "You seem more innocent around her. Like you used to be before all that stuff happened."

Alex glanced at her curiously and nodded in agreement.

"I guess so." he smiled as he nestled back into his seat and began reading again. Jack smiled at the young boy and picked up her own book. This was going to be a good trip.

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Cat waited impatiently at the gate. Alex should be here by now! She sat back down and smoothed out her sun dress. She had worn it just for Alex. He had liked it when she had worn it in a picture she had sent him.

"You nervous?" Heather asked. Cat jumped and turned around to see her caretaker smiling at her.

"A little." she squeaked. Heather giggled.

"You crack me up when it comes to that boy."

"I know. I just really like him."

"And I'm sure he feels the same for you."

Cat turned to face her caretaker and say something else, but her eyes were covered. She brought her hands up and grasped the ones over her eyes. She ripped them off and turned to face Alex. She gave a small yelp and threw her arms around him.

"Hullo, Cat. How are you?"

"Better now that you're here." she giggled. She released his neck and kissed his lips. She laughed as his cheeks turned crimson.

"Well, that was a surprise." he smiled. Cat ran over to Jack and gave her a big hug.

"Thanks for bringing him!" she smiled.

"No problem. He needed a break anyway."

Cat smiled and returned back to Alex. He took hold of her hand and surveyed the airport. He'd never been to Tennessee before, and he was anxious to see it.

"I like that dress." he commented as they began to walk out of the airport.

"Glad you do. So do I." she joked. Alex stepped forwards and opened the door for the three ladies. When he walked outside he smiled. It was a beautiful day outside. He looked over at Cat who was smiling. She took his hand again and lead him to the car.

"Welcome to Tennessee, Alex."

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Two men walked out of the airport a few seconds after Alex. One of them surveyed the boy while another man pulled out a black cell from his pocket. He dialed in a number and let it ring. After a few seconds, someone picked up.

"Yes?" came the accented voice of their boss. The agent swallowed is nervousness down.

"We have the boy in our sights. What do we do now?" he asked.

"Wait for me. Do not move in. I repeat, 'Do not move in.'"

"Yes, sir."

"All I want you to do is follow him. I will be arriving in a few hours anyway."

Chills ran down the agents spine.

"You're coming here? I thought you didn't handle busin-" he was cut off by a sharp hand on the back of his head. The other agent glared at him.

"Er-sorry, sir."

The man on the other end laughed. "I understand." He became serious again. "I want to handle this one myself. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

The line went dead. The younger agent closed the phone and gulped. If their boss was on his way here, he would _hate_ to be in that kid's shoes…

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_Creepy, creepy. Who's keeping tabs on Alex?? Well, okay, before you guys say anything, this isn't the exciting chapter yet. It's going to get there pretty soon, but I had to set it up first! Thanks for reading, and please review! _


	2. There's Always Trouble

_Hey, Readers! I'm back with the second chapter of NO MORE VACATIONS! Okay, so you guys know that Alex is in Tennessee in America, and he's being followed by a mysterious man's agents…spooky…and Alex has no clue he is being followed! So read and review! I want to know what you guys think!!! Please!!!_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Alex Rider series or any of Anthony Horowitz's other stuff. I do, however, own Cat, Heather, and a few of the bad guys. **_

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Alex smiled as they went deeper into the Gatlinburg Mall. He liked the country felling this place had. All the buildings looked wooden-like and old fashioned. It reminded him a lot of the cabin/house that Cat and Heather lived in. It was always so beautiful and sunny. The trees and sky were brilliant colors, and it was so cheery here. It was different from anything he'd ever seen in England…much different.

Cat squeezed his hand and smiled. The couple had been left on their own. Jack and Heather wanted to go somewhere different…well, basically away from the "love sick teens" as they had called the two spies.

"So," Cat asked, leading him farther through the mall. "how do you like Tennessee?"

"I love it." he sincerely said. "It's kind of weird, though."

"How so?" Cat asked curiously.

Alex shrugged. "Well, it's obviously different from England." he grinned. Cat rolled her eyes jokingly. Alex smiled and went on. "And, well, I feel safer here. I don't feel like I have to run for my life every five seconds." he laughed.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Maybe it's the atmosphere, or" He winked at Cat who proceeded to hide a blush. "or maybe it's just that I'm here with you."

Cat smiled and blushed harder. "Glad you like it."

Alex chuckled. She was playing it cool. "So what now?"

"I dunno. I'm sort of thirsty. Are you?"

Alex licked his lips. He was a bit thirsty, but he hadn't really thought about it until now. For some reason he always forgot minor details around Cat.

"A little. Where do you want to go?"

Cat pointed to a smoothie place across the street and giggled. Alex smiled and picked the small girl up before sprinting across the street to the smoothie place. As they reached the other side, Alex dropped Cat. She let out a squeal.

"This place?" he laughed.

"Yes, you jerk!" she giggled as she slammed a fist into his chest. Alex rubbed the spot where she had hit him. For a girl, she sure had some muscles on her.

"Ow."

"Serves you right." she retorted as she dug through her purse. "Oh, man!" she burst out suddenly.

"What?" Alex asked. He laid his chin on her shoulder, wrapping his muscular arms around her waist. He watched her with curious eyes. Cat stifled a giggle. He was so weird, and yet so cute!

"I left my money with Heather!" she groaned. Alex shrugged his shoulders.

"So?"

"So, I can't buy a smoothie."

Alex rolled his eyes. "You're odd."

"Why?" she said eyeing him suspiciously.

"_I'm_ the boyfriend, so _I_ buy the drinks."

"You're not--" Cat started, but Alex slipped his hand over her lips.

"Stay here." he said kissing her on the cheek before slipping behind the wooden doors of the smoothie place. Cat tried to protest, but Alex was already gone. She rolled her eyes.

"Hard-headed boy for a hard-headed girl." she mused to herself. "Guess that's what I get." She picked up her cell phone and dialed Heather's number.

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Alex stood at the back of the crowded place. It looked like it was going to be a long wait. He tried to peek out the window at Cat, but they were frosted over. He sighed and looked forwards.

Alex stood silently and waited for his turn. Three girls sat over to his left. He glanced over at them and blushed. They were staring at him and giggling. One of the girls waved at him. He smiled and nodded in their direction. More giggles. He rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, a man dressed in black shoved passed him. The teen froze as he felt cold steel rub against his skin. He would know the touch of a gun anywhere. He'd had to many of them pressed into him _not_ to know.

Quickly, his mind went into spy mode. He started heading towards the bathroom, but he kept his eyes on the suspicious man as he made his way forcefully up to the register. Someone tried to stop him. Bad idea. Alex ducked into the bathroom.

He closed the door just enough for him to be able to see out of. He stared out the crack. His heart thumped as he saw two more men enter. They both were dressed like the first man, and they were both gripping something in their pockets. Alex didn't have to ask what that something was.

The last man in locked the door behind him. Alex gulped hard. This wasn't going to be easy. He began to study them closely. They looked like professionals…so why would they be robbing a smoothie place instead of a bank?

Alex had no time to think about that question as a gun went off. Everyone in the shop ducked and screamed…that is, everyone but Alex. He didn't even flinch.

"Everybody shut up and stay down!" yelled the first man. Everyone obeyed and began crouching lower to the ground. A young women tried to pull out a cell phone, but it was immediately jerked out of her hands.

"Don't even think about it." said the second robber. The hostage whimpered and sank down to the floor. Two of the robbers began taking money out of the registers as the other watched the people inside.

"Time to act." Alex whispered to himself. He flushed the toilet and turned on the faucet. He then "unlocked" the door and stepped out…right into the barrel of a gun. Robber #3 was staring at him.

"What are you doing?" he growled. Alex feigned fear.

"I-er-I was in the bathroom." he smiled innocently. The man furrowed his brow, but he seemed to believe the story.

"Fine, then sit down and shut up." he snapped. Alex acted as thought he would obey, but he paused half way down. Everyone stared at him curiously.

"Oh, sir?" he said. The confused robber turned to see the boy holding his hand in a fist.

"What?" he sighed.

"Um, I think you dropped this."

"Dropped what?" the man said as he stepped closer to Alex. Bad move.

"This!" Alex yelled before ramming his fist into the thief's face. The man fell back unconscious.

"Hey!" yelled robber #1. He raised a gun at Alex. The teen spun out of the line of fire. Two bullets spat into the wall not harming anyone. Alex charged at robber #2 and sent him flying into the wall. The man slammed a fist into Alex's stomach and sent him gasping for air. People screamed.

"That'll teach you." he growled as he turned around to help the other robber. Alex glanced up and used a pressure point to knock #2 out cold.

"And that'll teach you never to underestimate a kid." he quipped as he ducked a punch sent from #1.

"Stay still, kid. This will only hurt for a minute." he growled as he spun a kick Alex. The teen back-flipped out of the way and slid to a stop on the floor. The man ran at him. He hit Alex and sent him sprawling on the ground. The robber was now on top of the boy, a gun pointed in the kid's face. Alex smiled and jerked his foot upwards and into the back of the man's skull. Immediately, the man fell over on top of Alex, unconscious. Alex gasped as a ton of weight slammed into him. Everyone stared at the heroic boy in amazement. The teen coughed.

"Uh, you guys want to help? I'm having a hard time breathing under here."

"Oh, sure." said one of the girls who had been flirting with Alex. She rushed over with the other two girls and lifted the robber off of him. He smiled and brushed himself off.

"Thanks." He looked at the robbers. "Lovely country you guys have here." he joked. The girls giggled and blushed. He looked over at a young man who had stood up. He waved his cell phone.

"Police are on their way." he smiled. "Thanks."

Suddenly, a chorus of claps followed as Alex dashed out the door. Cat stood on the sidewalk, obviously oblivious to what just occurred. He snuck up behind her.

"Hey."

"Oh, hey." She stared at him curiously. "Where's the drinks?"

"Er--about that, I sort of ran into some trouble."

Cat was instantly alert. "What kind of trouble?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just took care of some robbers."

"Wh-what!?" she squeaked.

"Nothing to worry about, but let's just get out of here."

"Okay, but we'll talk about this later." she said raising her eyebrows.

Alex smiled and grabbed Cat's hand. The two dashed off together.

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The young man by the door slipped out of the smoothie shop. He had watched the whole "robbery" and was quite impressed. He followed Alex out the door. He watched as he grabbed his girlfriend and ran off. He pulled out a cell phone and dialed.

"Hello?" came the Boss's voice. The young man from the airport gulped as his partner from the airport joined him.

"Did you get that?" he nervously asked.

The Boss chuckled lightly. Just that laugh sent chills down his spine. "Yes. Amazing child, isn't he?"

"Uh, yeah. Tough kid."

"Are my three agents down?"

"Yes, sir. The kid did a number on them. I'll arrange for them to be released as soon as possible."

"Good. Keep an eye on the boy. My plane just landed."

A shiver ran down the young agent's spine.

"Y-yes, sir. We'll keep you posted."

The line went dead. The agent looked up at his partner who sighed nervously. He looked back at the kid they were following. The boy really was enjoying himself.

"Enjoy it while you can, kid. Enjoy it while you can…"

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_Well, what did you think?? Do you know who it is yet?? I do!!! LOL. Duh! Who's following Alex!!! GAH! Anyway, please review you guys! Thanks!!!_


	3. What the Mess!

_Hey, Readers! I'm back with more of my second Alex Rider story! So far, Alex has gone to Tennessee to visit Cat. Unknown agents from an unknown organization are following Alex, and he had no idea! Oh, no! Now, the agents' "boss" has just arrived! Sounds like things are about to get crazy for Alex!_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Alex Rider or any of Anthony Horowitz's characters. I do, however, own Cat, Heather, and some of the bad guys.**_

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Alex and Cat ran into a small restaurant, both the teens breathless. Cat put her hands on her hips as she tried to catch her breath. Alex let out a breath and laughed.

"What?" Cat asked, her breathing still heavy. Alex took in a few more deep breaths and sighed.

"I don't know. It's just," He looked up at her and smiled. "I'm supposed to be on holiday and already I'm working!" he laughed. Cat giggled. It was rather funny. Her smile disappeared as two women walked up to the couple.

"What do you mean when you say that you're working, Alex?" came Jack's voice. Alex cringed and turned to face his caretaker. He smiled sheepishly and blushed.  
"Uh, long story." he said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. Heather stared at Alex and crossed her arms. Alex cleared his throat.

"Okay, I guess I'm not getting out of this one."

Jack nodded her head. "You got that right."

Alex smiled. "Why don't we order some lunch?"

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The two agents that were following Alex entered the small restaurant after the two teens. When they spotted the team with their caretakers, they turned and began talking to each other casually. Alex didn't even pay attention to them.

"That's the kid, alright." said the younger one.

"Mmm-hmm."

"I feel a bit sorry for him." he went on.

"As do I." said the bigger man. "They're on the move."

The two men ducked into a booth behind the four vacationers. They surveyed the room. There wasn't many people in there. Just a threesome a few feet away from Alex and his friends. Perfect place for Alex to tell his story.

They smiled as they heard him telling the three women the story of his heroic act. The younger man smiled. He had been there and seen for himself that the kid was good…really good. He'd taken down three of their best men in a matter of minutes. No wonder their boss wanted him so badly…

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"-and that's about it." Alex finished. He took a sip of the coke that the waitress had brought him.

The three girls stared at him, their mouths hanging slightly ajar. Alex smiled. Their faces were hilarious. It took everything he could muster not to laugh at them.

Jack was the first to recuperate from the shock.

"A working vacation." she said, shaking her head. "Why is it that troubled seems to follow you everywhere, Alex?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but I don't think this was an ordinary robbery. These guys were professionals. I could tell by the way they fought."

"So?" Jack shrugged.

"Well, why wouldn't they be robbing a bank or something? Why a smoothie shop?"

"That you were coincidentally at." finished Cat. Alex nodded.

"_That_ is the part that's worrying me. They were too good and too smart for a robbery that small. Something just doesn't feel right about the 'robbery'."

There was a pause. Jack shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her coke.

"I don't want you worrying about it, Alex. This is your vacation. Not a working vacation." she finished. Alex nodded and leaned back.

He glanced over to a table a few feet away from them. Two men and a woman sat at the table. Occasionally, one of them would look over in their direction before going back to their conversation. Alex rolled his eyes and took another sip of his drink. He furrowed his brow and stared straight ahead.

"Speaking of a working holi- I mean - vacation--" he said before standing up. The girls stared at him in confusion. Alex paid no attention to them as he walked over towards the three agents. The trio stared at him, but didn't seem alarmed. Alex smiled and slipped into the seat beside the woman.

"Hullo. So why are you guys following me?" he asked. They all shared a look. The woman just shrugged.

"You know why, Alex." The bigger man in front of Alex had spoken first. His voice was cold and hollow with a hint of an English accent.

MI-6.

"Oh, yes," Alex said in a hushed tone. "is this the part where you threaten me to come with you, or else?" he finished with a laugh.

"We're not here to threaten you, Alex." said the woman. She had an American accent.

CIA??

"CIA _and_ MI-6? So you guys are here for Cat and me?" he whispered in mock interest. He glanced over to the three girls. They were staring at him with curious eyes. He turned back to the agents again.

"Yes," the lady said. "but like I said, no threats."

"Unless," began the last man. He had an English accent as well. "you refuse."

Alex raised an eyebrow and stood up.

"So I guess you're leaving then?" Alex said in a loud voice. Two men in the same section looked up at the young boy curiously. Alex smiled at the three agents again.

"Nice to meet you guys!" he smirked.

The three agents stood and began to walk out, a look of defeat and anger on their faces. The big man narrowed his eyes and gripped Alex's arm tightly. Alex suppressed a wince as the man squeezed hard. He pulled Alex towards his face.

"Wrong move, Rider." he whispered menacingly.

Alex smiled carelessly. "Oh, the bathrooms are down the hall and to your left." he said aloud. Alex smirked as the man growled and stalked away. The teen turned to see the two men staring at him oddly from the booth behind theirs.

Alex shrugged. "People from England, like me."

The men nodded and went back to their conversation. Alex strode back over to his seat. His friends stared at him. He sat down with a sigh . Cat grabbed his hand. He leaned in closer to his friends. He didn't want anyone to overhear what he had to say.

"Be careful. It looks like MI-6 and the CIA are looking for Cat and I…and I think I just made them mad."

Cat sighed and squeezed Alex's hand. A heavy pause hung in the air as the four contemplated their situation.

"What the mess!" Cat burst out suddenly. Alex nodded and leaned back on his seat, letting out a exasperated sigh.

"You got that right…"

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The two men stood and exited the building a few seconds after Alex and his group. The younger man pulled out his cell and hurriedly hit redial. His breaths came out in shaky rasps. His boss was not going to be happy about this news.  
Someone picked up. "Hello?" came the accented reply.

"Boss, uh, we have a bit of a dilemma on our hands."

"What is it?"

The agent bit his lip. The boss was really, _really_ not going to like this.

"MI-6 and CIA are involved. They're looking for the kid as well."

There was a string of foreign curses that followed the statement, then silence. The agent looked up at his partner. Fear and concern stained his face. The younger agent bit his lip as he waited for the reply.

Finally, their boss replied, but what he said gave no comfort to the two agents. Chills ran down their spines as he replied.

"I'm on my way."

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_Apparently, this "boss" is a bit scary! What does he want with Alex? Why is it so important that he gets the teen spy? Who is this guy?? All these questions will be answered in the next chapter, so read on!!!_


	4. The Note

_Okie-day, it's the next chapter of NO MORE VACATIONS! Yeah! Now that Alex is enjoying his vacation in Tennessee, MI-6 and CIA show up to ask him and Cat to come back. Alex refuses, and they aren't to thrilled…and through all this, Alex still has no idea he is being followed by an unknown organization who's boss really wants Alex for some reason…uh oh! More trouble for Alex is on the way!_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Alex Rider or any of Anthony Horowitz's stuff. I do, however, own Cat, Heather, and some of the bad guys…**_

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The four vacationers decided to go their separate ways. Heather and Jack went to do more shopping, but the teen couple decided to go to Ripley's Aquarium. Alex was a little hesitant at first…well, ever since the "jellyfish incident" he really hadn't liked fish. After a little pleading from Cat, he decided it would be okay.

As soon as they were inside, Alex was glad he came. There were so many humongous tanks with all sorts of fish inside of them. It was amazing! Alex walked over to a tank with tropical fish inside of it. They were amazingly beautiful and bright. He smiled and studied them. He'd been almost everywhere in the world, but he'd never really stopped and "watched the fish" as it were.

It was almost peaceful watching the fish swim around in the tank. That, and the fact there were no jellyfish anywhere around…

"CAT!?" came a girl's voice. Alex blinked and looked away from the tank. Cat gasped and took off towards the girls, leaving him behind.

"Lisa, Jenny, Karen!? Oh, my goodness! How are you guys?"

Alex peeked around the tank to see three familiar faces talking to Cat. He sighed as he saw the three girls that had helped him foil the smoothie shop robbery. Alex pretended he didn't see them as he bit his lip.

"Great." he muttered.

"We're doing awesome!" the one named Karen exclaimed.

"We've missed you!" Jenny said as she hugged Cat again.

"Yeah, they told us you dropped out of school!" Lisa exclaimed with a sad face.

"Oh, no. I didn't drop out. I'm just home schooled." she smiled.

"Oh." Lisa said.

"It's fun," Cat went on. "I just have to do that because my aunt travels a lot, you know?"

Alex almost laughed as Cat told them the partial truth of what she and her aunt really did. Just traveling? Yeah, right.

"We miss you though!" Karen whined. Cat shrugged and giggled.

"I miss you guys too, but it's better for my aunt and I." she smiled as she hugged the three girls.

"So, why are you here?" Jenny asked.

Cat gasped and turned back to Alex.

"Er, hold on, and I'll show you." she smiled. Cat dashed over to Alex and grasped his hand. He walked over with her reluctantly. It's not like the girls had already forgot what had happened today. Alex stifled a laugh as the girls gasped in recognition.

"This is the reason I'm here. This is my boyfriend, Alex. Alex, these are my-"

"Uh, Cat, we already met." he said, blushing. The girls stared at him.

"Th-that's your bf!?" Jenny gasped. Alex nervously bit his lip.

"That's me." he chuckled.

"Where'd you meet them?" Cat asked.

"Uh, smoothie shop." he smiled. Cat smiled back.

"Oh, yeah. That." she turned to her shocked friends. "Please be quiet about this. Alex is a bit shy about what happened."

Lisa shook her head. "Shy? Cat, he was absolutely amazing!" she giggled quietly.

"And not to mention cute!" Karen laughed. Alex assumed she must be the outspoken one.

"Really, Cat, how'd you meet him?" Jenny asked. All the girls were quiet as they waited for Cat's answer.

"Oh. Uh, Heather and I went to England this past week, and I met him there."

"Yeah," Alex chimed in with a smile. "she saved my life…a lot." he smiled.

The girls "awed" at the couple as they stared up at each other. Alex squeezed Cat's hand.

"So," Karen giggled. "you guys need some supervision?"

Alex smirked and bumped Cat.

"I don't mind if she doesn't."

Cat shrugged. "Why not?"

The girls shrieked in excitement as they pulled the couple along.

"You have interesting friends." Alex laughed.

"Tell me about it."

The group of four girls and one guy walked through the aquarium ooh-ing and awe-ing at the sea creatures. They came to a darker part of the aquarium and entered the room. There were several glowing tanks full of all kinds of fish. Alex shuddered as he saw a tank full of jellyfish.

"You okay?" Cat whispered as she felt him shudder.

"Jellyfish." he gulped.

"Oh." Cat nodded in understanding. He smiled as she pulled him out of there. She always understood him.

The group soon came to a part of the aquarium where you were allowed to touch the rays and nurse sharks. Alex smiled as he brushed the top of a fin. It was sort of slimy, but it was pretty cool that he could actually touch it.

"Gross." Cat mumbled as she lifted her hand away from the slimy wing.

Alex laughed and nodded. His laughter immediately stopped as he saw one of the agents from the restaurant. He rolled his eyes and bent down to Cat's ear.

"They're here. Stay with the girls, okay?" he whispered.

Cat smiled and nodded. She pointed towards a door. "The bathroom's down there." she said, trying to keep calm. The other three girls looked over at Alex who shrugged.

"Got to go." he joked. The girls giggled.

He walked quickly away from the agent. The man followed.

_Perfect. _

Alex slipped into the restroom and into a stall. He heard the door swing open a few seconds later.

"He's in here." came a hushed voice.

"Alright. Get him." said the other agent.

_Great, _Alex thought to himself. _There's two of them._

Alex turned and flushed the toilet. He heard the men rush to that stall. He slowly unlocked the door, formulating a plan as he went. When he opened it, he was facing the business end of a gun. He smiled up at the agent holding it.

"Looks like you boys are still following me, or did you just have to take care of business?" he laughed. One of the men jerked him out of the stall. Alex saw the young lady in the bathroom as well.

"Well, that's not awkward." he mumbled.

"You're coming with us, Rider." growled the man with the gun.

"I don't think so." Alex smirked. He kicked his foot upwards. The man behind him tried to grab it but missed. Alex ran as the man let him go. He _had_ to get out of here!

He dashed across the "kiddie" section of the aquarium and looked around. He was safe. He'd lost them. Alex slowly made his way back to the girls, when a hand suddenly shot out and grabbed Alex's arm. He tried to yell out, but his mouth was covered by a beefy hand. The next thing he knew, he was being slammed up against a wall. His arm was twisted in a painful position as he tried to get away. His legs were kicked out from under him, and his knees smashed painfully into the ground. He tried to break free, but stopped as he saw the familiar three agents running past the hiding spot. He let out a sigh. Whoever had pulled him in here was trying to help him out. But who?

Alex tried to wiggle around to see, but his arm was twisted farther up his back.

"Stay still, Alex." came an unfamiliar voice.

Alex didn't listen as he kept trying to get away from the painful grasp. The man flipped him around, slamming the boy's head on the wall. Alex blinked as he saw the man's face. It was a young man's face, but he looked older in the eyes. He smiled down at Alex. It was one of the men from the restaurant. Alex looked up to see his friend standing beside him.

The teen spy couldn't help but gulp as the huge man smiled down at him, his arms crossed. The younger agent released Alex's mouth.

"Who?-" The hand shot back up.

"Be quiet, Alex. You don't need to know who we are. We know you and that's all that matters now." he smiled. "Here's a little something to remember us by." he laughed as he slipped something into Alex's hand. The man patted him on the head before walking away from the boy.

"Be safe, kid." smiled the big man as he left.

Alex sat there for a minute, stunned. He shook his head.

"That was unexpected." he sighed. He looked down at his hand where the man had slipped a post-it note in his hand. Alex slowly opened it and read the message inside.

"No." he silently said. His face went pale white. He hurriedly looked around for the people who had just helped him. They had disappeared. Alex stared back down at the note. He suddenly threw it down on the ground as thought it had stung him. With lightning speed, he jumped up and ran to Cat.

When he reached her, she stared at him curiously. Something wasn't right.

"You okay?" she asked. Alex nodded and looked around at the other girls staring at him.

"Yeah, it took you a long time to get back." Jenny piped in.

"Uh, yeah. I just got lost." Alex lied.

Cat squeezed his hand and pulled him aside. She stared into his eyes, a worried look across her face.

"Are you really okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"I hope not." he mumbled under his breath.

"What?"

"Uh, nothing. I'm fine." He smiled before kissing her on the lips. She looked up in surprise.

"Are you-"

"I'm sure. Let's just split. If I know MI6, they're going to be sending more people after us."

"There's something else, isn't there?"

Alex smiled. It wasn't his best, but he didn't care. What mattered is that Cat didn't worry about what was going on.

"Nothing you need to worry about." he laughed.

Cat sighed, but she seemed to believe him.

"Okay, let's go to Dollywood then. Heather and Jack called when you were gone. They want to go."

"Dollywood?"

Cat smiled and said goodbye to her friends. She and Alex walked hurriedly out of the aquarium. Alex looked around him. What was written on that note was still bothering him. He sighed as the words stained his memory. Could that letter have been from who he thought it was from? It was impossible…wasn't it? Alex went over the words again.

_See you soon, Alex. - Y.G._

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDE-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDE-RIDER-**_

The younger agent flipped open his cell and smiled. He hit redial and waited for the answer.

"Yes?"

"The message was delivered, sir."

There was a low chuckle on the other end of the line. "Good. Where is he headed now?"

The agent smiled up at his partner. Their boss was enjoying the news.

"Dollywood." he smiled.

"I think it's time that Alex and I caught up on lost time, don't you?" he chuckled. "Make sure it all goes as planned."

"Yes, sir."

The line went dead. The figure on the other end looked up at his right hand man and smiled. He stood up and patted his friend on the back.

"My boy has received my message."

"Then it's time?" the big man asked. The figure nodded.

"It's time."

A few minutes later, they were in the parking lot of Dollywood. The man smiled as he stepped out of the truck. He breathed the sweet air into his lungs and smiled.

Yassen Gregorovich was back…

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

_Is that a good place to stop, or what? Well, now you know who's after Alex…but why? And how did Yassen manage to survive the bullet?? I guess you'll find out in the next chapter! Review please! Thanks!_


	5. A Working Vacation

_Hey, Readers! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long! It's been hectic around here! Well, this is the next chapter of No More Vacations! So far, Alex was given a not that said, "See you soon - Y.G." He has a feeling he knows who it is, but he's not sure. He's a little freaked out right now, and headed to Dollywood with Cat! Yeah! But guess who else is in Dollywood? Yassen Gregorovich! AH! Not to mention, the CIA and MI6 are on their trail! This only spells out trouble for our two teen spies, Alex Rider and Cat Dates!_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Alex Rider or any of Anthony Horowitz's other stuff! I do, however, own Cat, Heather, and a few of the bad guys!**_

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

Alex smiled as they stepped into Dollywood. The whole place had a sort of fifties theme to it. People were walking around the park with poodle skirts and some with caps atop their heads. Cat saw Alex's smile and immediately lightened up.

When they had left the aquarium, Alex had seemed pale and scared for some reason. Cat had pried, but she had gotten nothing out of him. She had soon gave up all hope of making him smile...that was until they walked into the theme park.

"You like it?" Cat smiled. Alex shook his head.

"Yeah! What do you want to do first?" he said, his eyes surveying the park with child-like excitement.

"Um, how about…Mystery Mine!" she giggled. "That one's fun!"

"Let's go!" Alex turned to Heather and Jack. "We're headed-um," He looked at Cat sheepishly. He had know idea where he was going.

"Up the hill." Cat laughed.

"Okay, you guys be careful! Jack and I are going to shop." Heather said.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Again?"

"Why not?" Jack asked.

"No reason." Alex smiled as he pulled Cat along with him up the hill towards Mystery Mine. This was going to be the best holi-er-VACATION ever!

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

Yassen stepped out of the shadows and smirked as Alex ran gleefully up the hill. He turned to see his right hand man behind him. Yassen smiled up at the man.

"Nice suit." he joked as he looked the large man up and down.

"Hurumph." was his reply. "It's uncomfortable." he complained as he pulled at the fifties outfit he had been made to wear.

"It's only for a while." Yassen replied, turning his head back to face the boy running up the hill. The man followed his gaze and spotted the child he had heard so much about. He furrowed his brow.

"Do we go now?" he asked, his voice low.

Yassen shook his head without looking back up. His eyes were still fixed on Alex.

"No. Let him have a bit of fun. We want this day to be a day he'll _never _forget."

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

Alex and Cat sat at a small picnic table sharing (ironically) a rather large smoothie. Alex took a slurp of it and stared at the girl across from him. She took a rather large sip and looked up from the cold drink. Her eye twitched.

"Ow. Brain freeze." she gasped as she put a hand to her head.

"Have to have a brain to freeze first." Alex joked. Cat wrinkled up her nose and punched his arm. Alex tried to scoot back, but was too late

"Jerk!" she growled jokingly.

Alex smiled and tore his eyes away from the girl. He surveyed the park for anything suspicious. Ever since he had gotten that note, he'd been doing more of that. Of course, the fact that two spy agencies were looking for them sort of helped boost his paranoia as well.

"Uh-oh." Alex breathed.

"What?" Cat questioned. Alex turned to face her and put a hand on hers. He smiled as he pretended he hadn't seen anything.

"Don't look now, but the three stooges are back...and I have no doubt they've brought company."

"Oh, mess." she sighed.

"When I say, 'three,' run."

Cat nodded silently and smiled, squeezing her companion's hand.

"One..."

Cat saw the agents moving closer.

"Two…"

They spotted the two teens at the table.

"Three! RUN!" he gasped as he jerked Cat off the table and made a dash for it.

The two teens pushed their way through the crowd. Alex looked behind them and gasped. The agents were close on their heels. Alex tugged Cat's hand.

"Faster!" he yelled.

"I'm trying!" she yelled back. "Let go of my hand!"

"What? Why?"

"I could run faster without you pulling me!"

"Okay!"

As Alex let go of her hand, Cat sped up keeping pace with the boy. They were panting and struggling to breathe as they ran further and further through the park. Alex kept his eyes focused on the way ahead, dodging people here and there

Finally, the crowd died out leaving only one or two people around. Alex stopped by a small alleyway by a shop. He panted and turned to find Cat…only there was one major problem.

No Cat.

"CAT!"

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

"ALEX!" yelled Cat as a man grabbed her from behind. She expected Alex to turn and help her, but he was too far up to hear her. She fought to get away from the man's grasp, but it was useless. He pulled her into a shop and shushed her.

"Quiet!" he snapped. Cat looked into the eyes of Ivan, the man who she and Alex had worked with in her last mission.

"Ivan? What are you--?"

"I'm so sorry, Cat, but I have to take you with me."

"What? Why?"

"Another mission. We need your help."

"But I'm on vacation." she growled.

"I know, and I'm very sorry. I just really need you to come with me, please. I don't want to take you by force." he said, a hint of a threat lingering in the air.

"But-"

"Cat. Please." he pleaded again.

Cat stared into the eyes of the man in front of her. She sighed and looked out the door hoping-_praying_-for Alex to come save her. When she saw no such savior, she sighed and nodded.

"Thank you." Ivan whispered as he led Cat out of the shop, his hand grasped firmly on her shoulder.

_Where are you Alex?_

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

Alex sighed and rubbed a hand over his face in frustration. He knew that he needed to find Cat, but where had she disappeared to? His heart pounded as he thought about the note.

"He better not have laid a finger on her." he growled to no one in particular. He turned to go back the way he came. Hopefully he would find Cat and get her back.

As he walked past the alleyway, a hand shot out and wrapped itself around his mouth as the other wrapped around his waist. He was jerked into the alleyway with a muffled yelp. His hand clawed and pulled at his captor's hands, but he only held on tighter. He tried hitting the man behind him, but he just wrapped his beefy arm around Alex's arms. Alex couldn't seem to get away.

As he kicked and struggled, he sensed antoher prescence in the alleyway. He stopped moving and looked around. Another man stood in the shadows watching him. Alex grew uneasy when the man didn't even move. He tried one last attempt to struggle, then stopped as the man squeezed him hard. After a few minutes of silence, the man in the shadows finally spoke.

"Hello, Alex." came a Russian's voice.

Alex's blood ran cold. He felt the color drain from his face. He knew that voice. He knew it all too well. He gulped and his heart hammered against his chest.

"Y-You!" he stammered. In his fear, he hadn't realized that the man behind him had dropped his hand from the teen's mouth.

The figure stepped into the light revealing himself to the shocked teen. Yassen smiled at Alex. He walked up to him with a haughty smile on his pale face.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Alex?"

"H-How-?" The words died on the boy's lips.

"How did I survive? Ah, yes, I thought you'd ask me that." he smiled. "Quite simple really. I just faked my death."

"Faked your death? How?"

"It's amazing what you can do with a bit of puffer fish poison. A large dose may have killed me, but a small dose…well, it made me as though I died." he laughed.

"But I was on that plane! I saw you shot!" Alex yelled, his fear gone.

"Yes, fake blood packets do come in handy, don't they? The whole thing was rigged."

"Why?" Alex questioned, more intrigued than surprised.

Yassen wagged his finger annoyingly in front of Alex's face.

"Curious aren't we?" he chuckled as he tapped the child on the nose. Alex wrinkled his nose.

"Well, if one of your biggest enemies died and then came back to life, you'd be a bit curious too, right?" he snapped. Yassen just smiled and ruffled Alex's hair. Alex pulled his head away.

"Still haven't lost your sense of humor, I see." he said turning away from the spy. He walked over to a small briefcase lying on the ground and punched in a code. A small beep told Alex that it had opened. He tried to see what it was, but the man behind him pulled tighter. As Yassen looked through the case, Alex took the time to ask a question that was burning in the back of his mind.

"What do you want with me?" he asked calmly. Yassen turned his head to face Alex again.

"With you? What makes you think I want anything to do with you? I may just be here on business." he said coldly.

Alex shook his head and shifted his arm. The man behind him squeezed tighter.

"I highly doubt you came to kill me, Yassen."

"And why is that? You did kill my boss, Julia Rothman, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but you don't kill kids. You wouldn't kill me on the plane, and you won't kill me now." he said in confidence.

Yassen smiled. "Can't pull one over on you, can I?" he laughed. Alex furrowed his brow.

"You still haven't answered my question."

Yassen turned back to the briefcase and pulled a small box out of it. He walked over toward Alex, a smile on his face.

"I got you something while I was away." he chuckled as he walked back over to Alex. The spy's heartbeat quickened.

"I guess you aren't going to answer my question either." he sighed.

"All in good time, Alex. I have a feeling that we'll have a lot of time to talk about it later."

Alex was about to open his mouth to ask what he meant by that, but a sharp prick in his skin made him stop and look at his arm. A small button-like object was sticking onto his arm, an amber liquid inside. Alex blinked as his eyes began to get heavy.

"W-What d-did y-you do?" Alex stammered as he fought off the darkness trying to overtake his mind.

Yassen just smiled and put his hands behind his back.

"Good night, Alex."

Alex looked questioningly at Yassen. Suddenly, the world was spinning around him. One last thought entered his mind as the darkness finally took him…

_Definitely a working vacation…_

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

_Uh-oh! Looks like our young spy is in a heap of trouble! I know I didn't explain how Yassen survived very well, but I will soon! Next chapter! Got to read it! Sorry I left another cliff hanger, but that's just my style! LOL. Review please! Love you all!_


	6. It's Not a Dream

_Hey, Readers! I'm so happy that I'm now updating NO MORE VACATIONS! Yeah! Okay, so far, Alex was in Tennessee with Cat. They were having a lot of fun…that was until MI-6 and CIA came after them! In the course of running for their freedom, Cat was nabbed by the spies while poor Alex was kidnapped by someone he thought was dead! Yassen Gregorovich! Oh, no! This doesn't look good for Alex! How did Yassen manage to live? Why does he want Alex so badly? Will Alex be able to escape?? Found out now! Read and review, please! Thanks!_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Alex Rider or any of Anthony Horowitz's stuff. I do, however, own Cat and some of the bad guys! **_

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

Yassen smiled as he watched his bodyguard gently put Alex into a medium sized trunk. His smile broadened as he realized what he had accomplished. He finally had his prize...even if he was a bit imperfect at the moment, but that would soon change.

Honestly, he was proud of Alex and all that the fantastic teenager had done throughout the years. For as long as he could remember, Yassen had been watching the young boy. He'd seen his triumphs as well as his failures…although there weren't many of those…

"Easy." Yassen calmly said as the man loaded the trunk onto a small Dollywood cart. The man nodded his head and fastened the case onto the back making sure it wouldn't slip. He_ had_ to be sure it wouldn't slip. He knew Yassen didn't like failures. And he didn't want to be a failure…especially with something _this_ important to his boss.

"You get him out of here safely and make sure you aren't noticed. Understand?" Yassen ordered, his face more serious than his right hand man had ever seen it. There was a certain coldness and danger in his eyes that told him to be very careful with that boy.

"Yes, sir." he gulped.

"Good." Yassen smiled as he turned to leave.

"Sir?"

"Hmm?" Yassen said as he turned back around.

"What if he wakes up while we are transporting him?"

A cold laugh found it's way out of Yassen's pale lips. The man stared at him and shivered.

"He won't be waking up any time soon, Gerald. Trust me. There is enough of that drug to knock out an elephant." he grinned.

He turned to walk away, quietly melting into the shadows. Another shiver ran down the man's spine as he slipped into the cart. He adjusted the Dollywood worker's suit and started the small cart.

As he bumped along, he glanced back at the trunk and thought of the boy inside. Why was he so special to his boss? It was true, Gerald had seen what the boy could do and what he had done, but why would his boss want someone who hated him so much to be a part of what Yassen was creating? Why would he risk everything for this one child? It didn't make sense to him.

Gerald sighed and shook his head. He needed to focus on other things now. Like not running over anyone on his way out, for starters. He had just approached the outside when he slammed on his breaks, just barely missing a young girl. She gave a surprised yelp as the cart squealed to a stop a few inches away from her.

"Hey!" she growled.

"Er-sorry, ma'am." he replied to the young girl in front of him. He tipped his hat and waited for the girl and her chaperone to pass. The girl glared at him. He rolled his eyes when she turned away before taking off towards the meeting spot. He sighed. That was close. That would have indefinitely got him noticed.

In a few minutes, he had reached the white van he had come in. He slowed down as he approached the van.

"Yo! Gerald! What took you so long?" said a man of about twenty years of age with a New York accent. Gerald rolled his eyes and stopped the cart. He hopped out and walked towards the back of the cart. He tapped the trunk gently.

"Quit talking and help me get this into the back." he ordered.

The man's face suddenly went white as he walked to the back. A mixture of excitement and fear was mixed in his bright eyes.

"I-Is this h-him?" he asked with a gulp.

Gerald lifted and eyebrow. "Yep. That means you better be careful with this…or else." he finished with a low growl. Gerald almost laughed at the expression of the now ghostly pale man. The two men grabbed seperate ends of the trunk.

"One, two, three."

Gerald and the man gently lifted the box up and off the back and slowly slipped it into the back. Gerald let out a sigh of relief. The worst was over. They had the boy…now they just had to get him back safely…or else…

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

Cat walked out of the park, Ivan close behind her. Her mind was flooded with thoughts of Alex. Was he okay? Did the MI-6 get him as well? Why hadn't he come to save her? Or had he tried but couldn't? She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she barely noticed the cart coming right towards her. Suddenly, the cart squealed to a stop just a few inches away from hitting her. She let out a yelp of surprise before turning angrily on the man.

"Hey!" she yelled out. He looked at her, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Er-sorry, ma'am." he replied. She rolled her eyes. The man tipped his hat to her before driving forwards. She sighed and glared at him as she kept walking.

She guessed he worked at the amusement park, because he had a Dollywood suit on and was carrying a medium sized Dollywood trunk on the back of a Dollywood cart. She sighed and rolled her eyes again. Where was that guy off to in a rush?

"Hey, you okay?" Ivan asked.

Cat turned to him and gave him a glare. "Oh, I'm great, Ivan. Just peachy! I've just been kidnapped by the CIA, I have no stinking idea where my boyfriend is, and I almost got ran over! I'm great!" she whispered harshly.

Ivan bit his lip and sighed. He put an arm on her shoulder and lead her to a small BMW.

"Sorry. I really am. Maybe you'll feel better in the morning."

"Sure. Maybe I will." she grumbled sarcastically.

Ivan opened the passenger side door for her. She slowly slipped in and crossed her arms. She looked back at the entrance of Dollywood hoping to see some sign of Alex rushing out to save her. The door slamming shut was the only thing that told her it wasn't going to happen.

She turned sadly in her seat. She had finally realized what she should have realized earlier. The one fear in her mind had come true…

"He's not coming…"

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

Alex woke up with a groan. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. How long had he been asleep? What time was it? Better yet, what happened? He tried to focus his eyes, but they just wouldn't focus. He blinked again. Everything slowly came into focus.

The first thing he saw was a pillow in his face. He sat up and realized he was back in bed. He must have fallen asleep in the car on the way back from Dollywood. He bit his lip. He didn't even remember leaving Dollywood with Cat and the girls. He shrugged. He must have been really tired. Hiding from spy organizations wasn't an easy thing to do.

He sat up on his elbows and rubbed his head. He had the strangest dream. It was something about Yassen Gregorovich. Yeah, that was it! Yassen had come back to life and kidnapped Alex. He remembered that the assassin had put something onto his arm. It was small like a button and had some sort of drug in it. He had actually felt the needle go into his skin. It was weird. He rolled his eyes. That dream was ridiculous. Yassen was dead. _Way_ dead. Not a problem for the young spy anymore.

Alex smiled and rolled over onto his arm. A sudden sharp pain made him turn back over. He rubbed his arm and froze. Something small and round was sticking into his arm. Without looking at it, he slowly plucked it out of his skin, wincing at the pain. His heart pounded as he realized what he was holding.

Everything suddenly came rushing back to him. Cat being taken, him trying to turn around to help her, a hand quickly grabbing him, and a man that he saw in the shadows...

In a flash, he was on his feet, whirling around to face the front of the room. What he saw made him freeze in horror.

He was in a cell.

Iron bars stood a few feet in front of him, blocking any way of escape. Alex's eyes grew wide with fear as he glanced back down at the button-like object in his hand. It was the thing Yassen had drugged him with in his dream, but now it was empty. Alex's heart pounded harder and harder as he confirmed his fear...

"It wasn't a dream…"

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

_Okay, so that's the end of this chapter! Another cliff-hanger! Mwahahaha! What's going to become of our favorite teen spy? It looks pretty bad right now! Guess you'll just have to figure it out when I update next! Review please!_


	7. No Choices

_Hey, Readers! I'm back with more of NO MORE VACATIONS! Okay, so Alex has woken up after being kidnapped by someone he thought was dead…Yassen Gregorovich! Oh, boy…this should get interesting. Oh, and did I also mention that Cat and Alex were separated? Cat was taken by the CIA to do another job, but what is she doing this time? Read and review, please!_

_(**AUTHOR NOTE: I also make a few references to my last story, OPERATION: BIG BANG, so if you haven't read it…read it! Thanks!) **_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Alex Rider of any of Anthony Horowitz's stuff/ characters. I do, however, own Cat and Heather and some of the bad guys…and Ivan!**_

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

"_It wasn't a dream."_

The realization of what those few words meant hit Alex like a brick wall. He stood in the small cell, his eyes wide open in terror and confusion. How was it possible? Yassen couldn't still be alive…could he? Then again, he had thought that Skinner was dead the first time he had "killed" him…and he was wrong about that as well. Alex sat heavily down on the bed and held his hands over his head trying to remember what had happened.

He remembered something about Cat…he had turned around to find her. But why was he trying to find her? The CIA and MI-6 were after them, that's why. What happened after that? The hand that reached out and grabbed him…the figure in the shadows….Yassen…

Alex jumped as he heard a door squeak open, interrupting his thoughts. His first instinct was to run over to the cell door to see who it was, but his spy instinct told him to stay put. He quickly and quietly got into the bed and pretended to be asleep. He heard the sound of footsteps coming towards his cell. They stopped. Alex guessed whoever it was stopped in front of his cell. A small buzzing sound came from behind the spy. Next was the sound of a cell's iron doors sliding open. Alex stayed completely still and evened out his breathing. He felt his bed dip in a bit as someone sat down next to him. Alex didn't flinch.

There was a small pause, then, "I know you are awake, Alex."

Alex almost froze solid as the words left the man's mouth. That was definitely Yassen's voice. Alex knew for sure it wasn't a dream now…if it was, it had just turned into a nightmare.

A sigh came from the man on the bed as Alex remained still. A hand was laid on Alex's shoulder.

"Alex, I have cameras watching you. I know you are awake." he said calmly.

Alex quickly jerked upwards, hoping to surprise the Russian assassin with a fist in his face. He should have known better. The next thing he knew, Alex was face down on the cold concrete floor of the cell, his hand twisted painfully behind him and a knee in his back. Alex bit his lip in order to keep a cry of pain from escaping his lips.

"And good afternoon to you as well, Alex. Nice to see you haven't lost your touch. I almost didn't catch you in time." Yassen chuckled.

Alex wanted to scream, "Get off me!" or "What do you want?," but all that came out was, "Afternoon?"

Yassen let out an amused sniff and gently released Alex's arm. The young spy let out a mental sigh of relief as the knee was lifted away and Yassen stood up. Alex slowly stood up and rubbed his sore arm. Alex turned to face the assassin, a glare set on his face.

"You cease to amaze me, Rider. The man you hate the most is back to haunt you once more, you are still alive even though I could have killed you, and you have no idea where you are; yet the first question out of your mouth is whether I was right about the time of day or not." he mused.

Alex rolled his eyes. "What would you like for me to ask you? How you lived? Why am I here? What do you want with me? I mean, there are so many things to choose from." he said sarcastically.

"And you haven't lost that Rider charm, either."

Alex rolled his eyes again. He looked past Yassen to see if he had brought his flunky with him. Sure enough, there was tall, dark, and creepy standing a few feet away.

"Oh, don't let Gerald bother you," Yassen smiled as he saw where Alex's gaze had landed. "he won't harm you…unless I tell him to." he finished, a wicked smile on his face.

Alex crossed his arms over his chest and feigned being calm.

"Skip to the point, Yassen. What do you want?" he snapped.

Yassen smiled again and turned his back. For a split second, Alex thought about attacking but thought better of it as he saw the looming figure of Gerald again. Instead, he stood there staring holes into the back of Yassen's back…figuratively speaking, of course…

"What I want? Well, I guess we _could_ just skip to the point. That's what's wrong with you children today. You're always rushing things. I just thought that you might want to get caught up with an old friend first." he said, a hint of humor in his voice.

Alex sighed in frustration. "I really don't care, Yassen. And you're also _not_ my friend. You killed my uncle. I just want to know what you want." Alex spat, his hatred evident in his voice.

"Well I guess I should start at the beginning. You're probably wondering how I lived, aren't you?" Yassen continued, completely ignoring Alex's angered self.

"The question had crossed my mind."

Yassen turned back around to face Alex. "I'm sure."

Alex suddenly remembered the conversation in the alleyway. It was still a bit fuzzy, but Yassen had said something about puffer fish poisoning…But what had he said about it?

"Puffer fish poisoning?" Alex asked trying to sound as disinterested as possible…and failing…

"Ah, so you do remember our conversation then. I'm surprised. The drug I gave you should have made you-"

"Puffer fish poisoning." Alex interrupted irritably.

"Not patient, are we?"

"Not really." Alex replied dryly.

Another smile found it's way onto the Russian assassin's face.

"Puffer fish poison is lethal at a certain dose, but it also has certain other qualities if one knows how to use it right."

"And I suppose you are just that one, right?" Alex said sarcastically.

"The poison can also be a way to fake death. It really is quite easy. You sprinkle a bit of it on your person before you want to die and a few minutes later you're dead to the world. The funny thing is, you're still fully alive. Your heartbeat slows down so dramatically that it appears you have no pulse. Your skin becomes cold and every sign of life seems to leave you. Quite interesting, isn't it?"

Alex stood staring at the assassin. He had seen the man shot and killed on Air Force One! There was no way that man survived that way!

"I see by your surprise it was quite interesting. Actually, the fake blood was my own added ingredient. I knew I wouldn't survive my last mission. Also it was a way for me to get out of SCORPIA without being killed. The thought of death isn't quite appealing to a man like me." he finished with a chuckle.

Alex blinked in amazement.

"Wait, SCORPIA has no idea that you're still alive? But I thought that you still worked for them, and that's why you took me. Revenge for SCORPIA."

Yassen gave Alex an amused smile.

"Well, it's not only SCORPIA who does not know I'm alive. MI-6, CIA, and every other agency that was coming after me is now completely clueless of my existence. My body was supposedly buried in the middle of nowhere. I'm dead, Alex." he smiled.

Alex suppressed a shiver.

"So, what do you want with me? Why have you brought me here?"

Alex repeated the questions that were rushing through his mind. If Yassen wasn't working for SCORPIA, then his actions were done entirely on his own. Alex didn't know which was worse, being kidnapped by SCORPIA or Yassen.

"It's simple, Alex. All I want is help. I'm running out of luck, obviously. I'm also growing old, Alex. Not very old, but even I die."

Alex backed away. He knew where this was going and he didn't like it.

"No." he said, his face betraying his hatred and disbelief. "I won't!" he snapped.

Yassen smiled. "You're quick, aren't you?"

"Quick enough to tell you, 'no.' I'm not going to work for you. _Ever_. Go get some other person to do your dirty work."

"I've tried, but none of them have your unique qualities." he smirked.

"You're talking about my age."

"Yes. I've tried other children, but none of them have become what you have."

That last comment stopped Alex dead in his tracks. His mouth hung open in disbelief.

"You-You've used other kids?" he burst out.

Yassen shrugged as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

"Not used, Alex. Am using. This facility holds several children that are extraordinary, but not as extraordinary as you, Alex. And don't worry, I didn't kidnap them like I did you. They're all children who won't be missed. Children who the world has mistreated. Children like you, Alex."

Alex shook his head in utter disbelief as he thought of what he was being told.

"You're training teens like me to be spies?" he questioned.

"Spies, assassins, same thing really. I heard that you did pretty well yourself as an assassin. Even if you didn't kill anyone. Your training with SCORPIA was amazing, Alex. But you've definitely improved since that little test with SCORPIA."

"_Test_?" Alex gasped. "You mean you told me to go to SCORPIA so you could _test_ me? Give me training?"

"See if you could handle it." he corrected. "I never expected you to stay with them. I know you better than that. All of that was to make sure you were ready to be my apprentice."

Alex shook his head. "No." he growled. "I won't."

Yassen furrowed his brow. He put his hands behind his back and slowly walked towards Alex. The young spy backed away from the assassin, his heart slamming against his chest. He couldn't believe what was happening.

"I don't think you have a choice, Alex. You never did. I've been watching you since the first time we ever met. I've planned this day for years. There is no escape, Rider. You _have_ to become my apprentice."

"No." Alex whispered. He suddenly tripped over a small stool behind him. A hand shot out to grab him and pulled him upwards. Alex struggled to get away from the assassin's grip.

"Let me go!" he growled as he threw a fist at the man. His only thought was to get away from here. From all of this…from Yassen.

Yassen caught Alex's fist and slung the boy to the floor. Alex quickly rolled and stood up, ready to fight. Yassen smiled.

"Let's see what we need to work on, apprentice." he said as he stood in a fighting stance.

"Don't call me that." Alex seethed.

He ran at Yassen, his fists swinging wildly. His attacks were dodged easily as Yassen ducked and dived past the swinging arms.

"Control your moves, Alex, or you won't win. Anger won't help you defeat me." Yassen lectured.

Alex didn't listen as he swung a foot at Yassen. He heard the assassin sigh in frustration before catching the teen's foot and slinging him down to the ground. Alex landed painfully on his stomach, all the air rushing out of his lungs. He took a few deep breaths before rolling over onto his back. A foot was put onto Alex's chest holding him firmly down to the concrete. He tried to push the foot off, but Yassen wouldn't budge. Yassen bent down, putting more pressure on Alex's chest.

"Get off!" Alex coughed.

"Settle down, Alex. I'll let you up if you do."

Alex tried to squirm away, but wasn't able to. Every time he moved, more weight was added to his chest. He sighed and, as much as he hated to, listened to Yassen and stopped moving. The foot was released off of Alex's chest. The boy rolled over onto his hands and knees. He bit his lip in order to keep from crying. His whole body ached, and the mental situation wasn't helping either.

He heard Yassen approach him, and saw the assassin's boots out of the corner of his eyes. Alex wanted to jump up and hit Yassen again, but decided better of it as his body shook with pain and exhaustion.

"So much like your father." Yassen laughed. "I was sorry that he was a spy for MI-6. He would have lived longer if he had stayed with SCORPIA."

Alex took a deep breath in order to hold off his anger. He wasn't going to give Yassen the satisfaction of knowing that last comment angered him. Alex slowly sat up on his knees and looked up at Yassen. The man was smiling at him.

"Good. Controlling your anger. I guess I can help pound a few skills into that thick head of yours." he smiled.

Alex bowed his head and took another deep breath. He hated to think about it, but Yassen was right. Alex needed to learn how to control himself when it came to people like Yassen. He laid his shaky hands on his knees.

"Oh, I have something for you, Alex." Yassen said as he walked behind the spy.

Alex's head quickly shot up as he tried to scoot away from Yassen. A rough hand, not Yassen's, reached out and jerked him off of the ground. Alex tried to squirm out of Gerald's grip but couldn't.

"I don't want another gift from you, Yassen." Alex hissed. "The last one I got made me wake up with a fuzzy memory and a few memories I wish I didn't remember. Do me a favor and seriously consider forgetting my birthday." he finished, his sarcastic humor coming back.

Yassen smirked and walked back towards Alex. He ruffled the boy's hair. Alex gritted his teeth and jerked his head away.

"Don't worry. This one isn't from me. It's from Gerald here." he said as he gave a smile to Gerald.

Alex cringed. This was most likely going to be worse than Yassen's last "gift." Yassen grabbed Alex's right wrist and clamped something cold and metallic down onto it. Alex winced as it pinched his skin. He waited for the feeling of dizziness and tiredness that had hit him last time, but it never came. Alex looked down at his wrist.

There was a small metal bracelet on his wrist. It was thin and had two small lights on it. One was red while the other was green. Alex stared down at the bracelet then back up at Yassen, curiosity written all over his face. Yassen nodded his head and Alex was released.

"This," Yassen said as he pointed to Alex's wrist. "should keep you in line. Anytime you disobey me or any of your instructors, it won't be pleasant."

_Instructors?,_ Alex thought to himself. Before he could ask what Yassen had meant, he felt a sharp, electrifying pain that jolted his whole body. Immediately, Alex fell to the ground and yelled out. His hands covered his head as the pain slowly increased. But as fast as it came…it went. Alex gasped and looked up. He stared at Yassen.

"Wh-What was that?" he gasped.

"That bracelet," Yassen explained. "allows me to send an electrical shock through your whole body if you disobey me or any one else here." He stooped down to Alex's level and help up a small device that was no doubt the trigger to Alex's pain.

"Don't make me use it."

The two men left a shaky Alex sitting on the cold floor. Alex didn't even hear the cell door close as the men left. All that was going through Alex's head were the thoughts of what had just happened. His heart pounded faster in his chest as the full realization of his situation entered his mind.

He had no choice…

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

_Okay, so there it is! Alex is in big trouble! Yassen's apprentice? Wow! chapter! I wonder how Alex is going to get out of this one…I guess you'll just have to find out later! J You guys said that you wanted a longer chapter, so there it is! Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reviewing! Review again please!_


	8. Pain

_Hey, Readers! I'm back with another chapter of No More Vacations! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long, but I've been SOOOOO busy with school and stuff. Well, I know you all are wondering about what's happened to Cat and Alex…so I guess you're about to figure that out!!!! Please read and review! Thanks!!_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Alex Rider or any of Anthony Horowitz's other stuff. I do, however, own Cat and the bad guys…besides Yassen…**_

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

Cat sat down in the small white van and sighed. She could not _believe _what the CIA had done to her! All because of some stupid case, they made her change her entire appearance! Her once perfectly brown hair now had bright blonde streaks in it. Her hair had also been cut into a crazy style. Not ugly crazy, but just too crazy for her liking. Her usual jeans and t-shirt had been traded in for punk-Goth clothes and jewelry. Her ears had been pierced in several different places, and - to her horror- her navel was even pierced! When she had looked into the mirror, she hadn't even recognized herself. The CIA hadn't let her see her appearance until they were through, and she had been furious about what they had done to her.

She pulled a compact mirror out of her purse and examined her new appearance. Her eyes had black eyeliner around them and so much mascara and black eye shadow that her eyes looked more blue than normal. That was probably the only thing that she had liked about her appearance, because the pretty much black clothes and black lipstick weren't sitting well with her…that was for sure. She sighed again and closed the mirror and chunked it back in her massive black bag.

"Are we there yet?" she said in a bored tone that her new identity, Nissa, would have had, for she was already on her mission. Image was everything for this mission.

The CIA had gotten information on a secret society that was training certain juvenile delinquents and runaways to be agents. Agents just like Cat, and she had to become one of those delinquents to get inside that school. They didn't let just anyone in. The CIA had to make a pretty colorful criminal record for her if she wanted to even be considered to go to that "school." Nissa had done a lot of bad stuff…and was proud of it…and that was who she was now…

The young boy that had recruited her looked down at her and smiled a charming smile. Normally, Cat would have rolled her eyes and completely ignored the boy's attempt to flirt, but seeing as she was on a mission…. She had to love those bad boys. She made herself blush slightly

"We're almost there. You're not very patient, are you?" he chuckled.

"Not really, but I'm getting bored in here." she said with a huff.

"Yeah, I don't really blame you. That's the way I felt when I first started…except they blindfolded me. You're pretty lucky that you didn't have to do that. It gets a bit hot under those things." he chuckled.

Cat rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Yeah, I guess so."

The van came to a sudden stop. Cat fell off her seat and onto the floor. The young boy chuckled and held his hand out to her. She took it and hoisted herself up.

"A bit clumsy?" he teased.

"A bit." she repeated as she brushed off her ripped jeans.

"I wouldn't have expected that out of someone with your record. You have to be pretty good to get away with all of that stuff."

"Ah, but you're forgetting something."

"What's that?"

"I have a record, so that means I got caught." she giggled.

"Good point." he laughed as he opened the back of the van. "Here we are."

Cat raised an eyebrow as she saw a small warehouse sitting in front of her. She wrinkled her nose as she observed the boarded up windows, the rusting metal, and the total decay of the tiny building.

"You guys need an Extreme Home Makeover." she sighed.

"Never believe your own eyes." the boy said with a chuckle. "I thought the same thing as you, but this place really is amazing."

A board fell off the side of the warehouse as he finished his sentence.

"Yeah," Cat started, "she's a real beauty."

"Sarcasm isn't very attractive, you know." he smiled.

"It's my one and only charm." she laughed. "Now, seriously, where is this supposed 'amazing' place?"

"I don't know the code. Jason will have to get it."

The man he was referring to stepped out of the driver's seat and walked towards the two teens. Cat stiffened as she saw a gun in his hand. Jason must have seen her movement, for he stopped in front of her and smiled.

"Don't worry. I only use this on intruders." he said, a hint of an accent in his voice.

"Well, that's reassuring, but I highly doubt anyone's going to come to this place. It's probably already been cleared out of valuables a long time ago." she chuckled.

"Exactly why we picked this place." Jason said as he walked towards the rusty metal door.

Cat looked at the boy to see what he did, but he was already making his way towards the same door. Cat watched closely as Jason opened the door. The door opened easily, despite its rusty hinges, and allowed the three inside the decomposing building.

The inside looked just as awful as the outside. There were three windows in the small structure and they all were broken. Their shattered glass littered the floor along with broken wood and dirt. Cat held her breath as the smell of rotten something reached her nostrils. She looked around for the source and cringed at the sight of a few dead rats, and some living, on the floor. She stepped over one of the deceased rodents and ran right into Jason.

"Oh, sorry." she said distractedly. She was watching out for the rats. She _hated_ rats.

Jason didn't even seem to notice her. He stood in the corner of the room and bent down. Cat looked over his shoulder and gasped. He had lifted up a side of the "solid" cement floor and revealed a very new keypad complete with a fingerprint scanner. She blinked in disbelief. Maybe there really _was_ more to this place than meets the eye…

"Chad," Jason motioned to the boy.

"Yes, sir."

"Make sure she's not standing on the opening. I don't need an accident on my hands."

"Yes, sir." Chad said as he grabbed Cat's arm and pulled her away from the corner.

Cat heard a few beeps from the keypad and a hum from the scanner. Jason quickly backed away from the corner and retreated to where the two teens stood. The floor suddenly started groaning and creaking. Cat watched in amazement as the floor pulled back slowly revealing several steps leading down into an underground building. A hand tapped her chin and closed her mouth. She hadn't even realized it had been hanging open. She looked up at Chad.  
"I told you it was amazing, but wait until you see the inside." he said as he followed Jason down the steps.

Cat, to stunned to speak, walked cautiously down the steps.

She was in…

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

"_They're all children who won't be missed. Children who the world has mistreated. Children like you, Alex."_

Those words kept ringing in Alex Rider's mind as he sat on the stone floor of his cell. He couldn't believe how true those words were. He hated to admit that Yassen was right about him again, but what Yassen had said was truer than the assassin even knew.

Alex shook the thoughts out of his head and hoisted his shaky body off the cold floor. He hadn't left the spot where Yassen had left him last. He had been too stunned to move. Everything had happened so fast that he still was still sure it wasn't real; but the longer he sat there staring at his surroundings, the more he realized that it was all real.

"Too real." he muttered to himself.

The doors of his cell creaked open unexpectedly. Alex jumped up off the bed and got into a fighting stance, ready for anything. Gerald loomed in the doorway, the trigger to Alex's bracelet in his hands. Alex reluctantly lowered his hands and stood glaring up at the henchman.

"What do you want?" Alex growled.

Gerald smiled. "It's time for your lessons." he chuckled.

"What lessons?" Alex asked skeptically.

"You'll find out soon enough." he said as he walked over towards Alex.

Alex thought about making a run for it, but he highly doubted he'd get that far with that remote in Gerald's hand….but if it wasn't in his hands….

Alex took action, swinging his foot at the hand with the control in it. Gerald growled as the controller was ripped away from his grasp. Alex dove to the floor and scooped up the controller. Before Gerald could recover, Alex was up and out of the cell room and into the hallways of the unknown building, stuffing the trigger deep into his pocket.

As he was running through the hall, he ran past several open doors. He was stunned to see several teenagers in these rooms in desks listening to a lecture from different teachers. Alex almost stopped to stare, but he heard several feet thudding on the ground behind him and thought it best not to stop. Alex knew all those rushing footsteps were coming after him, and he wasn't going to let them take him again.

When he neared the end of the passage, he slid to a stop on the linoleum floors of the hallways. Three guards were standing a few feet away, waiting for him. Alex smiled and stood where he was. There was only one way out of this.

"Hello, chaps! I'm just on my way to class!"

"Get over here, kid. We don't want to hurt you." one of the guards said as he took a step towards Alex.

Alex just smiled. "Oh, really now? You don't want to or you can't? There's a difference you know…"

Alex suddenly jumped sideways into the classroom beside him. Several stunned young teens looked up at him. Alex smiled and waved. The teacher that was standing in the back of the classroom blinked in surprise.

"Why are you late?" he asked, his British accent barely noticeable.

Alex looked around. "Er…well, I'm not exactly in this class." he chuckled as the three men came looming into the doorway.

The teacher's eyes widened in realization. Obviously the staff was well informed of Alex's presence. One of the guards jumped at Alex, but the teen was too quick for him. He quickly hopped onto the teacher's desk and flung a hard kick at the man's head sending him sprawling onto the ground, unconscious. Alex back-flipped off the table as the second guard tried to take a swipe at him. He landed safely on the floor and punched the man in the stomach. The man fell down onto his knees as Alex sprinted for the door.

"Don't try anything, Cobra." growled the guard.

"Cobra?" Alex said in astonishment. He quickly recovered as the man advanced on him. He sent a calculated punch into the man's throat. The man gasped for breath and fell to the floor.

"There's my excuse, Professor!" he chuckled as he dashed out of the room, the teacher staring at him as he took off down the hallway.

As Alex kept running, he was aware of several curious faces staring at his form running down the hall. Apparently, he caused a bit of a distraction.

Alex gasped as he came to the end of the hallway. Five guys were standing in front of him, each one of them much bigger than the last three. The teen turned to run the other way, but found himself trapped by three very battered looking guards. He smirked.

"Sorry, boys. Am I too much for you to handle?" he laughed as he slammed a foot into the middle man, knocking him over.

Alex stepped on him as he took off running the opposite way of the five bigger men. He could hear their footsteps close behind, and his heart throbbed in his chest. They were getting closer…but when he looked back to see if they were still there, no one was there…

"What the--"

Alex suddenly screamed in pain as a tremendous shock coursed throughout his body. He gasped as the pain suddenly intensified. The room began to spin around him as he fell to the floor in pure agony. When he thought the pain could not get any worse, it doubled-no tripled-in intensity. Blinding pain sliced through his being making him writhe on the floor in pain. His screaming was so loud, that he barely heard the footsteps walking towards him. The pain suddenly stopped.

Alex was lying on his back, sweat all over his face. He groaned and opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was all the young teenagers staring down at him in curiosity. He blinked and tried to sit up, but a foot smashed into his stomach. Alex coughed as all the air was knocked out of his lungs. He rolled over to his stomach and tried to stand again, but another foot smashed him back down to the ground. The teen felt his hands being jerked forcibly behind him and restrained. He hissed as the bonds sliced into his skin.

"You really are a pain in the neck, Cobra. Just like the Boss said." came one of the guard's voices.

Alex glanced up to see one of the guards standing above him, a triumphant smirk on his face. Alex growled.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." he snapped back.

One of the guards snatched him up and reached into his pocket. Alex struggled to get away, but a familiar switch came waving into his face. Alex stopped his fighting and glared up at his captors.

"Who the heck is that?" came a young voice.

Alex looked over at all the faces watching him and the guards. He rolled his eyes and ignored the boy. He looked back at the guard.

"Well," he snarled, "what's next?"

"You're going to see the Master."

Gasps and animated whispers came from the young crowd gathered around Alex as he was dragged down the hallway.

"He's in trouble now…"

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

_It looks like Alex is some big trouble now. Wonder what's going to happen to him now! Well, review, please! Thanks! _


	9. Equals

_Hey, Readers! I'm back with another chapter of NO MORE VACATIONS! Okay, so basically Cat's new mission is to infiltrate this "school" that is supposedly teaching kids how to be spies. Alex almost made an escape from where Yassen is holding him, but he was caught by a bunch of guards. When they dragged him off, he was going to be taken to see the "Master"! Uh-oh! Well, read and review, please!!!_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Alex Rider or any of Anthony Horowitz's stuff. I do, however, own Cat, Heather, Ivan, and some of the bad guys…but not Yassen…**_

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

Cat walked down the hallways of the "school"--most students called "Rebels Haven", RH for short--and caught up to her friends from the school. She wanted to see if the rumors about the kid that had gone AWOL were true, and there were probably only two people who would know for sure.

"So," she said as she caught up to her friends, "what was all the commotion about during class? Someone said something about a kid or something."

"Oh, hey, Nissa." Chad smiled. He was the boy who had brought her to the Rebels Haven. "What you heard was definitely true." he laughed.

"He's the new secret weapon for the Master." said one girl whom Cat had met after entering the "school". Her name was Mindy.

"Well, that was blunt." Cat giggled.

"That's Mindy for you." Chad joked.

Mindy rolled her blue eyes and shrugged, her black and purple hair falling into her pale face.

"He's supposed to be really dangerous." commented Chad, expanding on Mindy's comment.

"And totally hot." Mindy laughed.

Cat had rolled her eyes at the last comment, but laughed.

"Does anyone know who this kid is?" Cat had asked. She needed information on this "weapon." Was he dangerous?

"No one's given us a real name. Only a codename." Mindy sighed.

"Codename?"

"Yeah. Cobra." Chad smiled.

"Cobra? What sort of name is that? Sounds rather ridiculous to me." Cat snorted.

"They say that when he fights, he's like an enraged cobra. When you meet him, you better hope you don't get on his bad side. His strike is deadly. They also say that they have to keep him under lock and key. He's so dangerous, their afraid that he might kill someone."

Cat raised an eyebrow. "Really now? Are you sure that's all true? I mean, someone may not want you to know he's really harmless and a mental case." she joked.

Chad chuckled. "The mental case is probably right. I think it all bologna, but still…"

"I just want to meet the hunk." Mindy giggled.

Cat rolled her eyes.

"What? He's got to be cute if he's strong enough to beat up three guards, right?"

This time Chad rolled his eyes.

"Well, you'll probably get a chance, won't you? I mean, you _are _the Master's apprentice, aren't you?"

Cat knew this from a few people talking about Mindy before she had actually met the interesting girl. Everyone told her that Mindy was one of the first students at RH and was a very good agent. One of the best. She had been so good that the mysterious Master had taken her on to apprenticeship, the highest level of agents.

Mindy shrugged modestly. "Yeah. I'm sure I will, but I'm still excited about it. Apparently, Cobra is very important to the Master. No one--not even me--knows why Master wanted him so badly. They actually had to kidnap the kid just to get him to come here."

"Rumor has it," Chad chimed in, "that he's on the bad side of us."

"So he's a good guy?" Cat chuckled evilly.

Chad smiled at her. "I guess that's what you'd call him. I mean, we aren't exactly saints here, are we?"

"We're just a bunch of teenaged rebels," Mindy laughed.

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

Alex was dragged down the hallway by his collar, his face still sweating and heart pounding from the latest electric shock. He tried to right himself and walk on his own, but it was working. He was too weak at the moment, but when he got his strength back, Yassen would definitely pay.

The teen was relieved when Gerald, Yassen's flunky, dropped him unceremoniously onto the floor. He winced as his head smacked onto the linoleum floor.

"Thanks for that." he muttered as he tried to sit up.

"Don't move." growled Gerald.

Alex rolled his eyes. "I'm handcuffed, Genius. And I doubt your buddies behind me would let me go anywhere." he snapped as he looked up at the guards behind him.

Gerald rolled his eyes and looked back at his comrades. "Cover his eyes. I don't want him seeing anything." he ordered.

The next thing Alex knew, a blindfold had been tied securely around his eyes. Rough hands yanked him up off the ground and held him up. Alex tried to jerk away, but their grip was too strong.

The teen spy heard a few beeps as Gerald punched in an unseen code on a keypad. After a few seconds, he heard a door click open. The guards that were holding him dragged Alex over to the door and threw him inside, headfirst. Alex landed heavily on his stomach, the air whooshing out of his lungs. He coughed and rolled onto his back. He waited for someone to rip him up off the ground and drag him somewhere else, but nothing happened. Instead, he sat up and tugged on his cuffs.

"Alex. Good to see you again." came that familiar accent of the Russian assassin.

"I'd say the same thing to you, but then I'd be lying." he spat out sarcastically.

"Lying about what? Good to see me, or not seeing at all?"

"Both."

As Yassen laughed, chills ran down Alex's spine. It wasn't the laugh or even the fear of the man who laughed that chilled him, but the fact that he could not see his enemy. That was more dangerous than anything. You never turn your back on someone like Yassen.

Alex listened carefully for the sound of footsteps or breathing, but no sound came to his ears. He shifted himself to a better position in hopes to hear something, but he was lifted off the ground once again and dropped into a hard chair. He felt a cold hand touch his shoulder before it snaked behind his head and pulled away the blindfold.

Alex blinked as he adjusted his eyes to the brightly lit room. He shook his head and looked up at the figure of Yassen. He glared up at the assassin.

"So I'm guessing you're this so called 'Master', huh?"

Yassen smiled. "You guessed right, Rider." he chuckled as he turned to walk behind a mahogany desk.

Alex looked around at the room he was in. It was a fairly large room with no windows. The room looked that of an office. Well, more like a boss's office than anything. The desk, behind which Yassen was sitting, was simple and strewn with papers. Alex turned his head to see two or three bookcases packed with titled and non-titled books perching on each of the shelves. The chair Alex was sitting in had a twin beside it, it's polished wood glinting with the light of the two lamps setting on the desk.

"Nice set-up '_Master_'." Alex said in a mocking tone.

Yassen smiled and ignored the obvious mockery of the teenager. He leaned back on his black chair and rested his hand on his chin studying the spy. Alex shifted uneasily at Yassen's calculating stare.

"You going to say something, or are you going to sit there looking like an idiot all day?" Alex snapped.

Yassen frowned at the comment and took out something from his desk, his movement minimum. Alex's eyes widened in recognition as he saw the cursed remote control to his bracelet in the assassin's hand. With a twitch of his thumb, Yassen sent shockwaves coursing throughout Alex's entire body. Alex gritted his teeth against the pain, but doubled over as the pain spread. The pain quickly subsided. Alex blinked and sat back up, his face set in a hateful look towards the man sitting before him. Yassen stood up and walked to the front of the desk, his intense eyes never leaving Alex.

"I do not tolerate disrespect, Alex." Yassen said cooly, his anger still evident in his steely eyes.

"And I don't tolerate being kidnapped, yet here I am." he quipped.

A slightly amused twinkle found it's way into the unwavering stare of Yassen. His lips twitched up into a small smile as he looked at the boy before him. Alex looked at him as if he was mental.

"Alex, you really are one of a kind." he laughed. "You're the only person I know, besides myself, that could experience awful pain but still come up with some sort of a snappy comeback to aggravate the enemy."

Alex shrugged. "Like you said before, 'Rider charm.'" he sniffed.

"Just like your father." Yassen mused as he leaned up against his desk.

Before Alex had time to speak, someone came into the office. Alex didn't look to see who it was. Yassen smiled and stood. Alex heard someone shuffle into the back.

"Hello, Mindy." the assassin said, his smile now like that of a father's.

"Master." came the short, respectful reply. The voice sounded young.

"Mindy, have you met my friend here? His name is Cobra."

Cobra. There was that name again. Alex opened his mouth to ask about the odd name he had heard the guards call him, but Yassen held a hand up to stop him. Alex, not wanting to feel anymore pain, rolled his eyes but kept quiet.

"Only rumors, sir." the girl replied.

"He's a friend of mine."

"Ha!" Alex smiled.

Yassen looked back at Alex and smiled.

"Is there something you'd like to add?"

"Friend? Is that what they're calling people who have been kidnapped, beat, and electrocuted now?" he laughed sarcastically.

Yassen shook his head and smiled. "You're going to have to learn your place, Alex."

He lifted the trigger into Alex's view and smiled. Alex glared at the trained killer and rolled his eyes. Yassen chuckled and lowered the trigger. He had power over Alex, and he knew it.

"You better hope I don't get this thing off any time soon, Ya--" Before Alex could say the rest of the man's name, a hand shot to his mouth. He gasped in surprise. He'd not even known that Yassen had moved until he was crouching beside him, his cold hand clamped over Alex's mouth.

"Do _not _call me that." he hissed in Alex's ear. He waved the remote in Alex's face for emphasis. "Understand?"

Alex nodded grudgingly. The hand fell away from Alex's mouth as the man straightened up. He cast a quick warning glance at Alex before looking at the girl in the back again and smiling.

"Mindy, dear, would you wait outside for a few minutes? I have some business to conduct with Cobra."

"Yes, sir." she whispered. Alex heard the opening and closing of the door as the teenaged girl left.

"You've got some major issues, Yassen." Alex expected to feel more pain, but instead he got a gentle tap on the head.

"Issues? If you remember out conversation when you first woke up, I said that no one knew I was alive. No one." he chuckled.

"Oh." Alex said in understanding. Yassen didn't want anyone to know he was alive. No one but Alex…

Yassen turned to go behind his desk. "Well, that was quite interesting. You always keep me on my toes, Alex. I need that every once and a while. Helps me to remember I do have equals out there." he finished with a smile.

"Glad I could help." Alex said with a roll of his eyes.

Alex blinked as Yassen's words sunk into his head. He thought that Alex was his equal? What had he meant by that? Was Alex really that much like that killer? Alex shook the thoughts out of his head and busied himself with tugging on his restraints. There had to be a weak spot somewhere. As soon as he got out of these things, he would somehow try to get that stupid trigger back from Yassen.

"We really _are_ alike, you know." Yassen stated.

Alex whipped his head up and glared at the man. "No we're not. I'm nothing like you." he snapped.

"Really now? Okay, then what are you thinking right now? How about, there might be a weak spot in those handcuffs, am I right? Or maybe your trying to figure out how to get this controller from me?"

Alex stiffened. He was right, but he wasn't about to let him know that…

"No." he said a bit too quickly.

Yassen shook his head and chuckled again. "Exactly what I would have said." he mused quietly but not quietly enough…Alex had heard him.

"I'm nothing like you." he spat. "You're a cold-blooded killer, and I'm not. My '_test_' at SCORPIA should have proved _that_ to you."

Yassen sighed, his smile leaving his pale lips. "One difference that can soon be stripped away." he said as he stood and walked over towards the door. He opened it.

"You may take him now." he said.

Alex looked behind him to see two guards and the young teenaged girl he had heard walking towards him. The young girl smiled flirtatiously at Alex as he glared back at her Master. The two guards jerked Alex out of his seat and forced him to stand. They lead him out of the office, one guard on each side and the girl in the middle. Alex looked back at a smiling Yassen. The man smirked at the boy and waved.

"See you at your evaluation, Cobra."

Alex stifled a question as he was tugged quickly out of the office. He looked over to the young girl behind him as if seeing her for the first time. She smiled at him.

"You better be ready for evaluations, Cobra. They're a real…_challenge_."

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-**_

_Well, there you have it! What's going to happen to Alex now? Evaluations sound pretty tough. Can Alex get through them? And what the mess are they?? Guess you'll have to find out later! J Please review!!!!_


	10. Evaluations Stink

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Hey, Readers! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I've been really, really busy lately with school and stuff. Anyway, here's the tenth chapter of No More Vacations! Enjoy!! J

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Disclaimer: I do NOT own Alex Rider or any of the other Anthony Horowitz's other characters. I do, however, own Cat and Heather and Ivan and SOME of the baddies…not all of them though…

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"You better be ready for evaluations, Cobra. They're a real…

challenge."

Alex rolled his eyes at Mindy. "Really? Like nothing else has been much of challenge already? I think I can handle it."

"Whatever." the girl chuckled.

Alex was dragged all the way down a long hallway. The group and their captive were met by several surprised stares and whispers as they passed several of the "students" going to class. Alex almost laughed as he heard one kid say, "Dude! That's_ the _Cobra! You know the kid that trashed like five guards?" His comment was met by more excited and nervous chatter as people began questioning whether anyone else had been there to see Alex make his escape attempt. He chuckled.

"Guess I'm pretty popular around here, no?" he smiled. Mindy shrugged and nodded.

"After that stunt you pulled through the hallways today, nobody could stop talking about it. Especially when you took on Gerald. No one's done that before. Not even me."

Alex shrugged. It really wasn't that big of a deal to him. He'd beaten guys several times bigger than him before. It wasn't size that mattered; it was skill.

A few feet down the hallway was a large set of metal doors with a keypad as well as a card swipe set on the wall. From the direction they were headed, Alex could tell that this would most likely be where he would be getting his "evaluations"…whatever the heck that meant.

When they were a mere three inches from the door, the guards stopped abruptly making Alex lose his footing. The spy quickly recovered and watched as Mindy made her way in front of them, a keycard in hand. She turned to Alex and smiled.

"Welcome to evaluations, Cobra…"

**__**

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"Oh, come _on_, Renny! I'm a girl for crying out loud!" Cat chuckled as she landed another punch on the huge boy in front of her.

"Well, if you'd stop moving…" Renny growled as he tried to take a swing at the young girl. Cat easily sidestepped the German boy's attack and planted a foot into his rather tough stomach. She gave a small chuckle as the boy fell to the floor, defeated.

"Wow, that was a bit _too_ easy." Cat smiled as she looked down at the sweaty, panting boy. She hadn't even broken a sweat.

"No…wonder…you…got into…the ad…vanced class,…Nissa." Renny took a deep breath in and rolled onto his bottom. "You're really, really good. Maybe even better than Chad." Renny finally panted out. Cat smiled and helped the boy up to his feet.

"And that's saying something," came a familiar voice from behind Cat. The teen spy whirled around to see Chad smiling down at her.

"Hey, Chad." she said with a polite smile as she turned to go grab her water bottle. Chad followed.

"You really are pretty good. I'd like to fight you some day." he said with a smile.

Cat shrugged. "If you think you can handle it." she joked as she chugged down her water. The boy smiled at her.

"I think I could. You really are good, Nissa. Not too many new-bee's could get into the advanced class the first time. Well, except for the select few here, that is." he chuckled.

"Well, that's what the streets can do to a person. I had to learn how to fight and fight well just to stay alive out there, ya know?" she said with a care-free air she knew her fake identity would have.

Cat took another huge chug of water as the doors to the advanced class' gym opened. Cat glanced over to the door to see who had come in and spewed her water everywhere when she saw who it was.

_Alex…_

Chad blinked in surprise and patted Cat on the back as the girl coughed and sputtered. "You alright?" he asked. Cat nodded and wiped her mouth off. She pointed at the four people who had just walked in.

"Ooh. Cobra's got evaluations, I see. This should be fun." he said with a chuckle.

"Cobra?" Cat asked with true curiosity. "Is he the guy who decked all those guards today?" She already knew the answer to that, but she still wanted to hear it for herself.

"Yeah. The thing about Cobra is that he didn't come here by choice like the rest of us." Chad commented as he watched a blindfolded Alex being shoved into a chair. Cat's eyes grew wide.

"He had no choice? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean the Master had him kidnapped. He was in America with some other girl or something. Master's wanted him for a long time, but it's been tough getting him. The kid's really good at what he does."

Cat winced as one of the guards punched Alex in the stomach as he tried to escape. "And what he does is…?"

"I don't actually know. I know he fights really well. That was evident this morning when he tried to escape today. Some people say he actually trained with the Master, but I'm not so sure. I also think that the Master and Cobra's dad used to be partners. At least that's what I heard. Maybe that's why he wants him so badly." Chad finished with a shrug of his shoulders.

Cat nodded. She knew what he was talking about. She had read the entire file on Alex and had known that Alex's dad was actually a double agent. He was working for SCORPIA, but was really an agent of the MI-6. Alex's dad had trained a lot of people in SCORPIA, but she wasn't too sure who would want Alex. She'd have to look that up later.

"I wonder if Mindy's evaluating him today," Cat wondered aloud. As if it was answering her question, the doors swung open to reveal a hooded figure entering the room. This time, it was Chad's turn to cough and sputter as he choked on his water. Cat patted his back.

"You okay, Chad?" Chad nodded, but he kept his eyes on the hooded figure. "What's wrong?"

"That's the Master…"

**__**

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Alex doubled over as his stomach received a harsh blow. He wanted to strike back out at whoever had done that, but he couldn't see…courtesy of the blindfold wrapped around his eyes. They really didn't want him to see any of those codes.

Alex took in a deep breath and relaxed his stomach muscles. The pain soon subsided. He shook his head and tried to pull the blindfold off of his face with his shoulder, but a hand slapped his face making him freeze in mid-rub.

"Sit still, Cobra." growled Gerald. Alex sighed in frustration but kept still. After what seemed like an eternity, some one pulled the blind fold away from his eyes. But he didn't like what he saw.

"Hello, _Master._" hissed Alex through clenched teeth. He stared up into the hooded figures cold eyes as they smiled down on him. Alex took in the hooded cloak and smirked. "Why are you hiding your face? You trying to hide that ugly thing or something? I would if I was yo--" Alex stopped in mid-sentence as the remote to his bracelet was put in front of his face. Alex gulped and bit his lip. He may have wanted to insult his captor, but he wasn't about to when that thing was in his hand. He wasn't stupid.

"Everybody," Alex heard Mindy say. The curious boy looked around Yassen to see that their were several students looking at him with curious eyes. "it's time for Cobra's evaluation. So everybody beat it…except for you Chad and you Nissa. You guys stay here. Everybody else, out! NOW!" she finished fiercely.

The teens all grumbled but obeyed as they filed out of the training room. All of them except the two people that Mindy had called out. Chad and Nissa. Alex blinked as he saw Nissa…that wasn't her real name. She may have been dressed differently and had different colored hair, but that was definitely Cat under all that gothic make-up. He dropped his eyes down to his lap in order to not blow her cover.

"What do you want, Jerk." Alex growled under his breath as he looked back up at Yassen.

The assassin furrowed his brow. "Excuse me? What did you just call me?" he hissed as he got into Alex's face. Alex stayed glaring at the man's face.

"You heard me. I'm not calling you 'Master.'" he spit out. The three teens behind Yassen stared at him in disbelief. Cat shot Alex a warning glance, but he paid no attention to it. A hand shot out and grabbed Alex by the scruff of his shirt. Alex tried to struggle away, but Yassen's grip was too tight.

"I am not giving you a choice, Cobra. You've never had a choice in the matter." he growled as he threw Alex back down into the seat. The teen spy rolled his eyes.

"Now get up." Yassen said calmly as he pushed the hood off of his head. He shed the black cloak and walked to the center of the room where a mat lay. Alex stood up and walked to the center where Yassen stood waiting.

"How am I supposed to do anything with my hands tied behind my back?" Alex said as he tugged on his cuffs for emphasis. Yassen smiled and took out a small key. He walked behind Alex and unlocked the cuffs, the metal falling with a clang to the floor. Alex rubbed his sore wrists as he watched Yassen walk around him like a predator watching his prey.

Yassen paused in front of him, his finger resting on his chin. He nodded.

"What?" Alex snapped when the man said nothing.

"Handstand into a bridge up, please." he said simply. Alex gave him and odd look, but did as he was asked.

He watched Yassen carefully as he placed his hands down on the mat and flew up into a handstand before arching over into a bridge up. He watched carefully as Yassen walked around him, studying him. Alex was tempted to kick him, but thought better of it when he thought about the trigger being close to Yassen's side.

Alex bit his lip as the blood began rushing to his head making his head pound angrily in his ears. He saw Yassen stop by his head. "Blood getting to your head yet, Alex? Your face looks a bit red." he chuckled.

"No." Alex lied as he glared up at the assassin.

Yassen rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say. Up." Alex pulled himself up and awaited his instructions. "Another bridge, please."

Alex sighed and pushed himself back into a handstand. Almost immediately, his hands were swept out from under him by a swift kick from Yassen. The spy tumbled down and landed on his back…hard. All the air rushed out of his lungs. He gasped, trying to get air back into his lungs. He panted and got to his knees.

"What…was…that…for?" he panted as he was jerked back up by Yassen.

"I told you to give me a bridge. Not a handstand. Listen carefully, Cobra." he said bluntly. Alex rolled his eyes.

"You mind telling me that next time instead of knocking the air out of my lungs!?" he snapped, earning him a harsh slap across the face. Alex bit his lip and shook his head against the pain.

"Bridge-up. Now."

Alex gritted his teeth but went into the bridge anyway. Yassen walked around him again. "I'm testing your flexibility now. Can you get your hands any closer to your feet?"

Alex blinked. "I guess."

"Do it."

Alex sighed and pushed himself closer to his feet. With each inch closer, he became more and more strained until he could not move any closer. He puffed out a few breaths in pain as his muscles begged for him to get down.

"There," Alex gasped. "Can I get down now?"

"No." Yassen said as he continued to survey the boy. "I think you can go closer."

"What? No I can't! This is as far as I can go." Alex argued.

"I believe you can go closer. If I can, you can."

"Oh, great philosophy, Aristotle. Just because you can do it doesn't mean I can do it!" Alex snapped.

Yassen gave a frustrated sigh and approached Alex. The Russian placed his foot firmly, but gently, on Alex's toes. He then put his hand on Alex's chest, pushing him backward. The spy had to move his hands back in order to keep from falling down. He gasped as the pain in his back increased. He bit his lip so he wouldn't cry out in pain. He was relieved when the pushing finally ceased.

"A foot and one-fourth. I think you could eventually go further, Alex." the assassin said as he dropped his hands from Alex's chest. The spy let out a sigh of relief and dropped to the floor, his back screaming in pain.

"Alex, if I say that you can do something, you do not tell me that you can't. You do as I say. Understood?" he finished bluntly.

"Whatever."

A sudden move later, Alex was sprawled out on the floor, his whole body being shocked with pain. He curled up in a ball to stop the pain, but it was no use. The pain just intensified. Finally, after an eternity, the pain stopped. Alex opened his tightly shut eyes. A pair of shoes impacted his stomach before he had time to react sending him flying to the edge of the mat. He looked up to see Cat staring down at him in horror.

A hand clamped down on Alex's hair and dragged the poor spy back to the middle of the mat, tossing him down unceremoniously. Alex rolled over and jumped to his feet, ready to fight. He came face to face with a fist, the force of the impact causing him to spin out of control and back onto the ground.

"What…are you…doing!?" Alex gasped as another fist glanced across his chin.

"Defend yourself, Alex. Or you won't make it out of here alive."

Alex gulped as the last sentence hit him harder than an actual blow. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.

Yassen was trying to kill him…

**__**

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Well, how's that for the tenth chapter of NO MORE VACATIONS? Will Yassen really kill Alex? What's going on with the Russian assassin? Guess you'll have to wait for the next chapter! J Hoped you liked it! Please review!! Thanks!!


	11. Not a Very Good Day

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Well, hello again! It's been a while since I last updated, and I am SO sorry for that! People that don't have any lives sent us a virus and crashed our internet and stuff. But I'm finally going to be updating! Thanks to those who have been faithfully looking for my updates! Well, since it has been a while, I'll get you caught up. Alex is at "evaluations" and Yassen is "evaluating" him. Alex also found out that Cat is working undercover. She's in the advanced class and has no idea who Yassen is. Oh…and I forgot to mention…Alex is fighting for his life against Yassen! In the great words of Scooby-Doo (whom I do not own) "Ruh-roh!" J Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: As always, I do NOT own any of Anthony Horowitz's characters in any of his fabulous books. I do, however, own Heather, Cat, Ivan, and a few of the bad dudes!

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Yassen was trying to kill him…

Alex ducked as another punch came flying towards his skull. He almost didn't duck in time. He felt his hair being swept by the near missing fist. Alex gulped and dove out of the way as a foot came flying towards his stomach. But that was his first mistake.

As he escaped the assassin's foot, another foot smashed into his chest. Alex yelped as he flew into the air and into a metal bar. With a painful clang and thud, he fell on all four limbs onto the mat, gasping for breath. He was already tired, for his strength was slowly leaving him due to the fact he still had not eaten all day. He could feel his whole body shaking with his sugar loss and energy loss…but he had to stay strong no matter what happened. If he didn't, he would surely die.

Alex saw two pairs of feet coming after him as he sat on the ground. He had to time his next move carefully. The teen spy shot his head up and gave the two men a wicked smile. Yassen knew what that smile meant. He charged forward with Gerald trailing close behind. When he saw this, Alex's brain kicked into survival mode allowing him to figure an interesting plan.

Alex's adrenaline spiked; all his energy quickly returned to him. It was time to execute his plan…they were close enough now. Alex jumped up and flipped backwards. His feet found their way onto the metal bar he had just hit, and he propelled himself forward with both fists out. He smiled as he felt his arms impact two faces. Alex tucked in and flipped again before landing on his feet. He smiled and turned back to face his opponents.

"Bring it on," he laughed.

"Good, Alex. Very good. But let's see if you can do that again." Yassen chuckled as he and Gerald pulled themselves off of the floor and into a fighting stance.

"I'll see what I can do."

Alex did a roundhouse kick and slammed his foot into Gerald's chest. The big man went flying backwards and landed with a loud thud onto the mat. Yassen growled and charged after the teen. Alex spun out of the way and slammed an elbow into the assassins back. The man fell to the floor but rolled back up almost immediately. Alex smiled.

"Your move, Yassen," Alex said with a smirk.

"My pleasure."

But Yassen didn't even move. Instead, Gerald ran after him. The big man's fists swung wildly as Alex ducked and blocked all of the deadly punches. But he had forgotten about Yassen…that is, until the assassin's foot smashed into the teen spy's back. The force sent Alex sailing into Gerald's awaiting fist. The teen felt warm blood flow over his chin as his split lip and throbbing nose gushed out the red liquid. The force of the hit left him dazed as he fell to the ground.

A foot gently shoved him back over to his back. Alex shook his head and tried to focus his eyes on whoever it was in front of him. A hand snatched him up by the scruff of his shirt and stood him up. Alex steadied himself and shook his head as he focused his eyes. Yassen stood there with a look of pride on his face. When he finally realized who was in front of him, Alex immediately jumped away from him and into another fighting pose. Yassen just laughed.

"Put your hands down, Alex. It's over. I'm not going to kill you, yet…" Yassen said with a chuckle. Alex didn't buy it. He watched Yassen and Gerald, who was in front of him, closely for any signs of treachery.

"Why should I believe _you_?" Alex snapped, still tensed up.

"Why shouldn't you? I've never killed you before when I've had the chance."

Alex's mind flashed back to the various missions he and Yassen had crossed paths. The assassin had every chance to kill him, but never did. It had always puzzled Alex, but he hadn't really thought about it until now.

"You didn't think I was a threat back then," Alex argued. "I'm sure you've rethought that by now."

Yassen smiled again. "That is true. You weren't a huge threat back then. A threat no doubt…but not to me. But I still don't want to kill you. As I've told you before, I don't kill children."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You'd kill your best friend if he was a threat," he countered.

Yassen sighed and looked at Alex with a mixture of sadness in his eyes. "I didn't kill your father, did I?"

Alex gaped at Yassen. He dropped his hands and stared at the assassin. "What did you just say?"

Yassen nodded at Gerald and turned away. Alex saw him do this but did not react. He was still stunned by Yassen's words. Next thing he knew, three guards had tackled Alex to the floor and were forcing his arms behind his back. Alex struggled to get up, but it was no use. No one would let him up. He caught a glimpse of Cat's shocked and worried face out of the corner of his eye. Luckily, every one else looked just as stunned as her, or she might have blown her cover. They all stood there unable to believe what they had just seen. A boy had taken on their Master and almost won. It was near impossible…or so they thought.

"STOP!" Alex shouted. The man looked behind him and down at the young boy struggling to get away . "What are you talking about!?" Alex shouted again.

Yassen smiled sadly at the young spy. He walked up to Alex as the guards hoisted him up off of the floor to meet his gaze. "I knew your Father worked for MI-6." Alex stared at him in stunned silence.

"Wh-what?" Alex stammered.

"Not here," was all he said before turning and walking towards the exit. Alex watched as the assassin pulled his black cloak and hood back on and walked out of the training room. Alex stood there, stunned and confused.

What had he mean by what he said? He didn't kill his father? Did that mean that Alex's dad was Yassen's friend? Alex denied that it could be true. There was no way his father would have ever let himself get close to someone like that. Would he?

He wouldn't have, Alex decided. Yassen was just trying to get to him…but still…he wanted to know for sure.

Gerald stepped in front of Alex. "Let's go." Alex smiled as he saw that Gerald had a black eye and a bloody nose.

"Oops," Alex laughed. Gerald shoved the boy out in front of him.

"Walk." he growled.

As they were leaving, Alex glanced back at the three stunned "students" watching him leave. He winked before turning around and walking out of the room.

**__**

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Yassen slammed the door to his office and threw himself into a chair. He put his hand on his forehead and began to massage it. He had a major headache. Especially after that fight with Alex. The boy was good. Really good. Perfect for the plans Yassen had for him. But the only problem with that was how to keep the boy in line. The bracelet would only go so far with someone that stubborn. He should know. He was the same way.

Yassen stood up and walked over to his desk. He pulled out a bottle of pills and a bottle of clear liquid that was definitely not water. He shook out two of the pills and popped them in his mouth followed by a swig of the liquid. He sat down heavily in his chair and leaned his head back and closed his eyes. That boy was going to give him a lot of these headaches, that was for sure.

"Sir?" came a small voice from an intercom system hidden under his desk. Yassen lifted his head up and pressed a small button on the underside of his desk.

"Yes,"

"It-it's Mindy." she stuttered. Yassen smiled.

"Come in, please."

The door clicked and slid open after Mindy swiped her card. She stepped into the office. The door slid quietly shut when she was inside. She smiled up at him.

"What is it you want, dear?" he said sweetly. He stared at the young beauty before him. She really was like his own child. As sweet as she could be being a child in some of the situations she had been in before Yassen had taken her under his wing.

"Uh, just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed…upset about something, sir." she finished nervously.

Yassen smiled at her. "I'm fine."

"Is it about Cobra?"

Yassen sighed. "In a way, yes." He took another sip of the clear liquid and looked back at Mindy. "You really are one of my best students, Mindy. I do appreciate you quite a lot."

Mindy tried hard to hide her huge smile, but she could not. "Thank you, sir," she said as mildly as she could.

Yassen nodded. "Now, I need you to do me a favor and bring Cobra to dinner with me tonight. Don't let him escape either. Take Chad and a few other guards with you. Understood?"

Mindy saluted him. "Yes, sir!"

"Thank you. Dismissed."

Mindy nodded and turned and left. Yassen sighed and leaned his head back again. He needed some time to think about what he would say Alex. The boy had a right to know about what he had said at evaluations. He'd have to break the rest of the news to him gently…if he could…

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Alex stood in the cell he had woken up in that morning thinking about what had happened in "evaluations" that day. He couldn't believe any of it. First, Cat was there and looked very strange yet beautiful in her disguise. Second, Yassen's news about his father was disturbing him greatly. Alex wiped his still bleeding nose onto his sleeve and sat down on his bed.

"You know," came a girl's voice. "you really can get yourself in some interesting situations."

Alex whipped his head around to see the gothic version of his girlfriend standing at his cell door. He smiled and walked up to her.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered. She gave him an odd look.

"Why are you whispering?" she chuckled.

"Cameras," he replied.

She rolled her eyes and wiggled her fingers at him. On her right hand was a silver ring with a black stone in the middle…and it was glowing.

"It disrupts the cameras for long enough so that I can do this…"

Cat put her hands through the bars and pulled Alex's face closer to hers. They shared a magnificent kiss through the cell's bars. Alex ran his fingers through her newly dyed hair as she did the same to his. They had both missed each other so much. Alex pulled away first, but he kept his hands wrapped around her perfect waist. He didn't want to let her go. She smiled and put her hand on his face.

"That was…different." Alex laughed.

"I'll say."

Alex glanced at Cat's appearance and smiled. "That is too." he said pointing to her lipstick and eyeliner.

"Yeah, I know. I'm not happy about it either." Cat growled as she looked at her black nails.

"It's actually pretty cute." Alex smiled. He saw Cat blush.

"Okay, enough with the cutesy couple stuff," she giggled. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay…well, besides the obvious split lip."

"I'm fine. You?"

"Good. Haven't blown my cover."

"Good. So how did you get here?"

"Long story. Tell you later. You?"

"Same and same." Cat nodded. "So, is there any possible way to break me out of here?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

Cat shook her head. "No, not yet. But I have called the CIA. They'll send someone to help you out eventually. I'm not supposed to. They don't want to risk blowing my cover…" Cat said with an obvious air of disgust.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Go figure. They only care about their own agents. But anyway, I don't ever rely on any government agencies to help me out of a sticky situation any more. They don't usually come through so well." Alex sighed as he remembered all the times he had needed help from an agency in the past, and the countless times they had always let him down.

"Well, plan B would be…figure something out. I can't help you yet. I'm not exactly in the trustworthy zone yet. I was actually quite surprised that the Master guy let me stay there and see his face. It was a big act of trust on his part."

Alex gave her a shocked look. "You don't know who the 'Master' is?"

Cat shook her head. "Not yet. But I'm sure I'll figure it out."

"Cat, I know him."

She gave him a shocked look. "You do?"

"Could you not tell that he knew me?"

"I just thought he knew you through your dad or something. I guess I was so shocked at seeing you here, I didn't make the connection. Sorry. So what's his name?"

Alex was about to tell her, but he heard the door to the prison room beginning to open. He jerked away from Cat and gave her a wink. "Time to play." Cat smiled and nodded.

"I'm _not_ giving in, _Nissa._" Alex growled as Mindy and Chad walked in. They both blinked at the two glaring teens.

"You'll never win, so you might as well!" she snapped back.

"I _always _win." he said with a snarl.

"Nissa?" Chad chimed in. "What are you doing in here?"

Cat rolled her eyes. "Trying to talk some sense into this hardheaded boy." She jerked her thumb back in Alex's direction.

"I'm not giving in…your _Master_ has already caused me enough trouble. I don't even want to be _associated_ with him!"

"Oh, come off it!" she yelled as she whirled around to face him. She put her face close to his. It took all of Alex's self-control not to kiss her.

"You first," he said with a smirk.

Cat rolled her eyes and faced the two other students. "You deal with him. Another minute in here with _that_, and I'm gonna have to punch someone…namely him!" she shouted before storming out of the room. Chad and Mindy watched as she walked out of the room in a huff.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Americans…what can you do?"

Chad faced him with a scowl set on his face. "Put your hands through the bars." he ordered.

"Why?" Alex questioned, obviously surprised at the request. What was going on?

"Because he told you to," Mindy snapped.

"Oh, and that should be enough to convince me?" Alex retorted.

"No," Chad chuckled. "but this should." He pulled out the remote to Alex's bracelet and waved it around.

Alex rolled his eyes but pushed his hands through the bars. A pair of handcuffs were clasped onto his wrists. Chad made sure to lock them nice and tight to Alex's dismay. A second later, the cell door opened and Chad stepped in followed by Mindy. Without any warning, the older boy slammed Alex's face up against the bars with his forearm and held him down. Alex winced in pain as his head clanged against the metal bars.

"What the heck are you doing!?" he growled.

"Where is it?" Chad asked calmly while pushing the spy's head harder into the cell bars.

"Where is what!?" Alex shouted in confusion and anger as he tried to move his head away from the other boy, but he held him down firmly.

"Where is the device you used to mess with the camera, Cobra?" Chad asked him again as he pushed Alex's face farther into the bars.

"I don't have one!" Alex's heart picked up it's pace as he realized that Cat had left her scrambler on a little too long, and now they had caught on to something being wrong.

"So, are you telling me that the camera's just messed up on their own accord?" Chad sarcastically asked.

"Sure, why not?" Alex snapped. If he didn't figure out something to tell them, they'd go after Cat…or crush his head into the bars…whichever came first. The boy tried to think of something to tell them but nothing came to mind. Finally, he figured something out. "Fine! Get off me, and I'll give it to you!"

Chad waited for a minute before letting go of Alex's head. "Well?" Mindy asked.

Alex shook his head. "My watch." That was the only thing the could think of. It was the watch that Jack had given him for his sixteenth birthday, but it would have to do.

Chad unbuckled it off of Alex's wrist and threw it on the floor before he crushed it into several pieces. _Jack's going to kill me for that_, Alex thought to himself.

Chad patted the spy on the head and smiled. "Thanks, kid." He then reached up and unhooked Alex's wrists from their holding place. Alex waited until he had let him go before he turned and swung a fist at the older boy. He smiled as he felt the boy's face under his fist. But as a reward, an intense shockwave jerked throughout his body.

Alex couldn't stand, because the pain was so intense. He shook all over as he fell to the floor. He tried not to scream, but the pain was to great. It seemed like the torture went on for forever before it finally stopped. Alex was now curled up on the cold floor, his body still twitching ever so often with the left over electricity in his body.

Chad picked Alex up off of the floor and threw him up against the bars again. Alex held onto the cold steel for support for his shaking frame. A pair of strong hands held him up as another set cuffed his wrists behind his back again. The two students pulled the weakened spy away from the cell and shackled his feet. Alex looked down.

"That's new," he commented in a whisper.

"We don't want to take anymore chances where you're concerned." Mindy said as she pushed him into two guards who had just entered the room.

"I'm flattered," he said sarcastically. Alex looked up at the two guards then back at the students.

"Where are we going?" he questioned.

"To the Master." Chad answered bluntly.

Alex glared at them. "Don't you think you've tortured me enough today? I mean, I'm not sure I could handle another glance at that hideous face."

Alex gritted his teeth as a fist slammed into his stomach. All the wind rushed out of his stomach as Mindy pulled her fist away from him. Alex's knees buckled forcing the guards to support all his weight. He blinked up in surprise at Mindy. She glared at him.

"_Never_ speak of the Master that way again…or else," she growled. She then turned and walked out of the room, the guards, Alex, and Chad following after her.

Alex dropped his head as he was carried out of the prison and back to face Yassen once more with only one thought on his mind…

_This is _not_ my day…_

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Well, there you go! The long awaited eleventh chapter of NO MORE VACATIONS! Alex really is not having a good day…and now he's got to go see Yassen again! I wonder what is going to happen to out favorite teen spy this time! Once again, I'm SO sorry that I haven't updated in a while. Hopefully that won't happen again! Review, please! Thanks!


	12. Found Out

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Omigosh! I am SOOO sorry, Readers! I've been out of state for a while now, and I'm just getting my life back to normal…if my life ever did have a normal. LOL. But anyway, here is the next installment of NO MORE VACATIONS! Basically, all you need to know is that Alex is having a VERY bad day, and it is definitely going to get worse! He's going to go see Yassen, and hopefully he will get some answers about his father and Yassen's friendship! Alright, with no further ado (except for disclaimer) here is chapter 12 of NO MORE VACATIONS!

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Disclaimer: I do NOT own Alex Rider or any of the other fabulous characters of Anthony Horowitz's fiction. I do, however, own Cat and Heather and some of the baddies and Ivan! Thanks

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"That was close," muttered Cat as she walked briskly out of the prison cells. She'd almost been discovered with Alex. If the two of them wouldn't have had such keen senses developed, it would have been a disaster for them. Never again would she try anything that reckless unless it was completely necessary.

Or at least she thought she wouldn't.

Cat looked down at her ring and gasped. It was still going! She hurriedly pressed the jewel and the transmitting stopped. "That was even closer," she muttered as she walked past another camera. She took in a deep breath. "Pull yourself together, Cat. Yeah, he's cute, you _really_ like him, but you've got a mission to complete and your boyfriend to save! You can't do that if your captured or your head is still wrapped around that _amazing_ kiss…See?" she scolded herself. "There you go again…and now I'm talking to myself. Perfect…"

As Cat rounded the corner, muttering to herself, she slammed right into someone. Cat jumped a little and looked up. She smiled. "Hey Renny." It was the boy she'd been sparring with earlier that day. But now he looked different. Instead of the hunk of boy that was always smiling, he was now frowning at her. He looked angry, hurt even. "You okay, Ren? What's going on?"

"You need to come with me," was all he said before turning and walking down the hallway. Cat bit her lip. Why was Renny acting so odd? Was something the matter? Was it time for her first assignment already? No, that couldn't be it. She had not been there for that long. Then that left only one plausible answer.

She'd been discovered.

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Alex sighed.

This was really not his day.

Captured, taken away from Cat, beaten, and, not to mention, finding out that one of his arch enemies was not only _alive _after being shot, but somehow knew something more about his father that Alex didn't know. But the last part was what was bugging him so much.

When Alex had accused Yassen of killing anyone, even his own best friend, Alex had been surprised by Yassen's answer.

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"I didn't kill your father, did I?"

And that one sentence was why the teen spy found himself here, sitting across from Yassen at a very large table.

The whole table had settings for twenty, but Yassen had assured him that it would only be the two of them tonight. That was in order to protect both their true identities. Even the guards were told to leave…but not without making sure they had tied Alex down pretty tightly first. They'd been pretty thorough. There were chains wrapped around his torso, shackles attaching his legs to the chair, and longer chains that only allowed his arms and hands limited room to move. _But they were so kind to allow enough room for me to eat, _Alex thought sarcastically as he pulled his arms up in order to find a weakness in the metal.

"Don't bother," came Yassen's voice.

Alex shot his head up to look at his kidnapper. "Why not? You would," Alex said with a sniff.

Yassen smiled. "So you are learning."

"Learning what?" he snapped.

"That we are alike. More alike than you care to admit, but we aren't we are still very much alike."

"You keep saying that like it should placate me when, in all reality, it seriously creeps me out," Alex quipped.

Alex shivered as he heard the man chuckle. "You'll come around in time. I know you will. Everyone always does," he finished ominously. Alex grit his teeth at the repulsing thought. "But," Yassen said as he stood up. Alex tensed as the assassin walked towards him. "that's not what you wanted to know, am I right?"

"I don't want to know it, because it's not going to happen," he stated calmly.

Alex dropped his head down to his lap and watched out of the corner of his eye as the man walked towards him. When he reached him, Yassen rested a hand on Alex's shoulder. The spy tried to pull away, but Yassen's hand squeezed tighter on his shoulder. "I really wish it didn't have to be this way, Alex. I do hate keeping you locked up like this, but until I can trust you this will have to do."

"Or until I can escape," Alex murmured.

Yassen smiled. "Just like your father."

Alex snapped his head up. "M-My father?" Alex stammered. He'd referred to Alex to being like his father instead of like him. "What do you know about him?" he asked.

Yassen nodded sadly. "I guess it is time for you to find out about your father. The _true_ story about him."

"The true story? I've already seen the evidence, Yassen. I know he worked for MI6, and there is nothing you could tell me that would sway me into believing otherwise." Alex looked into Yassen's eyes defiantly. But the assassin wasn't even looking at him. He was focused on the far side of the room, lost in thought.

"I knew your father wasn't who he claimed to be. It took me a while to figure out who he was working for, but I knew he wasn't one of us."

"He wasn't a killer. Isn't that what you mean?" Alex said with a disapproving growl.

Yassen sighed. "No, he was a killer, but he didn't kill and enjoy it."

Alex almost retched. Was he saying he _enjoyed_ killing? Alex shook off the repulsing thought of him being like Yassen. It was too horrid to think of now. Or, for that matter, EVER.

"When I found out about his being a spy, my first thought was to go to the head of SCORPIA and report it. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. Your father meant too much to me. He was like the older brother I had never had," he said, sadness and regret creeping into his voice. "But I was hurt. I felt betrayed. But instead of talking, I went to him." Yassen stood up and walked towards his seat again. He sat down before looking back at Alex. "Hungry?"

The question was so off the subject, Alex actually was taken by surprise. He raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yes. I guess," he said, still taken aback by the randomness of the question.

"I thought so."

Yassen tapped a small button hidden on the side of the table. Immediately, two teenagers, boy and girl, came walking out with two hot plates in front of them. Alex smelt it before he saw it. Chicken, rice, and steamed vegetables sent Alex's mouth watering. His stomach growled. The poor spy hadn't eaten for over twelve hours now. Yassen watched him, a smile across his face.

The plates were set in front of them, but Alex made no move to eat. He watched as Yassen picked up his stainless steel fork and knife and began to cut into the succulent dish. Alex looked down at the table and smiled. The waiter had given him a fork and knife alright, but they were, "Plastic?" Alex said with a smirk. "Really, Yassen, you don't trust me enough? When have I ever killed anyone in cold-blood?" Yassen glanced up at him.

"Dr. Grief," was his simple answer. He smiled.

"What?" Alex asked in shock. "How did you-"

"Really, Alex. Do you want to talk about this now, or would you like to eat first?" he scolded.

Alex's mouth kept opening and closing but nothing came out. Yassen smirked knowingly. He motioned with his own knife to the plate. "Eat."

Alex shook his head, but obliged his captor and picked up his fork with only one thought in his head.

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What have you gotten yourself into this time?

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"Don't admit your guilty until you know for sure they know for sure."

Ivan's words came swiftly back to Cat's head as she followed Renny down the hallway. For all she knew, Renny was just playing a joke on her or something. He had been doing that quite often. She smiled. _That's all, _Cat thought to calm her quick beating heart, _He's just being Renny. You're fine._

Renny stopped at a closet door and turned to face her. He nodded to the door. "Go in. I'll be there in a second. Okay?" He had a small smile on his face now.

Cat rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to kiss you, Ren. Sheesh. You gave me a heart attack! I thought something was happening to the school!" Cat chuckled.

"This isn't about that…_Catherine_."

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Okay, I know that this chapter is sort of short, but where better to have a cliffy than here!? LOL! So Cat's been discovered, and Yassen knows more than he's really supposed to about Alex! What will happen next?? Guess you'll have to find out next time! LOL! Review please!!


	13. The Truth Does NOT Set You Free

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Guess who's back with more of NO MORE VACATIONS?? ME! LOL! Well, so far Alex is having dinner with everyone's favorite assassin Yassen (lol, that rhymed!) and Cat has been found out by RENNY! Oh my gosh! What will happen next?? Will Alex find out about his father and Yassen's relationship? What's going to happen to Cat? Will they ever get out of this "school"? I guess you'll read a find out! Read and review, please! Thanks!

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Disclaimer: I do NOT own Alex Rider or any of Anthony Horowitz's other adventurous characters! I do, however, own Cat and Heather and Ivan and some of the baddies! Thanks!

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Alex sat quietly at the table as his plate was being cleared, his eyes studying the calm assassin across from him. Yassen smiled as he saw the teen's eyes running over him.

"Is there a problem, Alex?" he asked calmly.

Alex shook his head.

"Then stop staring. It is rude to stare at your host so intently," Yassen said sternly, his smile gone.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Oh, so that's what their calling kidnappers these days, eh?"

A sudden, quick shock rocked Alex's body. He shook his head as the pain resided. He glared up at Yassen. "Why did you-"

Yassen raised up the remote to Alex's bracelet. "Don't disrespect me, Alex," he said, his calm returning. Alex shook his head but did as he was told.

Yassen turned his gaze away from Alex and focused on whispering something to Mindy who had just walked in. She furrowed her brow and looked back at Alex. The boy smiled and lifted his hand up as far as he could to give the girl a tiny wave. She rolled her eyes at him and tried not to smile at his boyish antics, but Alex could see her lips twitching upwards. Yassen finished his commands and nodded to Mindy.

"Yes, sir," Alex heard her whisper before turning and leaving with the rest of the teens following after her. Alex glanced around nervously. They were completely alone. That could only mean one thing.

As if reading his mind, Yassen smiled and leaned forwards on the table. "Now, it's time to learn about your father."

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"_This isn't about that, _Catherine."

Cat's eyes widened as Renny's words assaulted her ears. "Wh-what did you just call me?" she stammered.

Renny smiled. "You heard me, Catherine," he repeated, letting her true name roll of her tongue. "And don't bother lying either. I know you work for the CIA."

That was all Cat needed to hear.

She swung her fist at the boy, trying to knock him off his feet like she had done in their previous spars. But this time was different. It was like Renny had all the sudden become a trained fighter. His moves were calculated and cunning. It was like he almost knew what Cat was going to do next. She tried everything, but nothing seemed to even phase the boy. He just smiled smugly, dodging and twisting away from everything she threw at him. So she did the only other option she could think of.

She ran.

But Renny ran faster.

He reached her in a matter of seconds, grabbing a hold of her by her waist and tossing her to the ground. Cat hit the floor with a hard thud. She glanced up at the boy in front of her. He smiled at her and reached down for her. Cat tried to slap the hand away, but he just swatted it away easily and yanked her up off the ground by her arm. She tried to lash out with the other, but he grabbed her just in time, his large hands tightly holding her wrists.

"Let me go!" she growled as she tugged and pulled to get away. She lifted a foot up to kick him, but he just spun her around and held her tightly against his chest in a bear hug. He jerked her off the ground and began to drag her back down the hallway. She thought about yelling out, but what good would that do? She was already found out anyway.

As she was dragged back into the closet where their fight had taken place, Renny quickly switched his arm to Cat's neck and opened the door with his free hand, and to Cat's amazement, was extremely careful not to choke her in the process. But then again, they may want to know what she knew…which was absolutely nothing…

Renny pulled open the door and pushed Cat in. He stepped inside and closed the door and switched on a light inside. Cat waited for something. A smack to the face, goons jumping out of the darkness to get her, or even a gun to be leveled at her face. But none of that came. Instead, Renny did something she hadn't expected.

He hugged her.

"Gosh, I missed you, Cat."

Cat's eyes widened. "IVAN?"

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This is it. This is the moment of truth. The truth about my father.

Alex watched as Yassen glanced down at the table looking…nervous? He'd never seen the confident assassin look nervous once in all the times Alex had faced him. This intrigued Alex further.

"To be honest with you, Alex, I'm not sure where to begin," he sighed.

"The beginning would be nice," Alex sarcastically commented. Yassen didn't even seem to notice. After a few more minutes of silence, the man spoke again.

"I came into SCORPIA not truly knowing what I was getting into but knowing what I wanted. I wanted adventure, danger, a way to channel my anger even. At first I was a little scared about killing, but they told me I was a natural. They began training me, teaching me their ways…and I grew to like it. That is, everything about being an assassin. I would kill anyone or anything for a sum of money. Even…children."

Alex's eyes widened, but he said nothing and stayed focused on the assassin as he stood and began to pace the room. "At first, I didn't see anything wrong with it. They were targets with no name. A job. Nothing more. But that was before I met your father, John Rider. But, of course, he told me another name, but that's our world," he said with an ironic chuckle. Alex nodded. Yeah, that was unfortunately their world…

"John," Yassen began. "was a great man. Truly great. He was the one who taught me how to work in the field." Alex bit his lip. His dad had _helped_ this guy become an assassin? That didn't sound like his father…but then again, how should he know? They died when he was small. "He became like an older brother to me," Yassen continued. "He taught me well, and we eventually became partners. But there was something about him that struck me as odd.

"Whenever we…took care of business," Alex shuddered. He'd been on both sides of the gun. Those memories still haunted him today. "your father never looked the same as most assassins." Yassen paused in thought.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, his interest piqued. Yassen glanced back over at him.

"His eyes. His eyes gave him away. At least, they did to me. Just like yours do." He looked at Alex, studying his face. Alex shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his chains clinking. Finally, after a few uncomfortable moments for Alex, Yassen continued saying, "He wasn't a killer." A shadow of a smile crossed Alex's face. He knew it was true, but it took someone like Yassen to confirm it for him. "At least, not a _willing_ killer. Do not misunderstand me, Alex," Yassen said still staring at the boy. "your dad did kill people, but he did not enjoy it. That's how I knew. That's how I knew he wasn't who he said he was."

Alex creased his brow and tried to put his hand up to his head. It stopped halfway there. Alex let out a frustrated sigh but asked, "What about how you said you knew about my father and didn't tell? You told me that you were tempted to go to the head of SCORPIA when you found out, but you never did. You said that you confronted my father. And the children," Alex said, the horrid thought running through his mind again. "you said that you…didn't care. You'd kill anybody. But that's not what you've told me before," Alex finished nervously.

Yassen nodded and smiled. "You do pay attention, Alex. I'm impressed." He walked closer to Alex. The boy had to crane his neck to look up at the man towering over him. Yassen sat down on the edge of the table.

"That's what they trained me to do," Alex stated bluntly.

Yassen nodded, the smile dropping from his face.

"So, my father…"

"Yes." Yassen bit the inside of his cheek in thought. "Like I said, I knew your father was not a killer. But then again, I was not sure what he was. I couldn't confront him with just the evidence of the look in his eyes. Who would have believed me?

"Months went by, and I was getting better at my job. Much better. Your father and I were some of the best." Alex winced as he said those words. Yassen didn't seem to notice. He went on. "We became even closer on our various missions, but there was one mission in particular that left no doubt your father was not who he said he was.

"We had a job in the jungles of somewhere I'd rather not discuss." He gave Alex a look that made the boy's question drop away from his lips. "It was another face, another job. No one to worry about. Your dad and I were quietly waiting in the jungle, neither one of us moving. The target walked out of the building just ahead of the trees. He was headed to his helicopter. Your dad took aim…and I froze." Alex raised his eyebrows. Yassen looked off into the distance as if remembering the moment.

"On my neck was one of the most poisonous spiders in that jungle. It was crawling up my neck. To my bare flesh." Alex swore he saw the man shudder ever so slightly. "The target had presented itself. I stayed quiet, not wanting to disturb your father. But that's when he did something unexpected. He pulled me in front of him, aiming his rifle at the side of my neck. And he shot." Alex sucked in a breath.

"The bullet skimmed across my neck and slammed right into the spider and carried on to bury itself into the target. He died instantly.

"I was so shocked for a moment, I could not move. Your father saw this and jerked me by my arm into the jungle. I finally came to my senses and started running with him, still going over what had happened over and over in my head. Any normal operative of SCORPIA would have never helped me like your father had. They would have left me to die. It was then that all my trust was now in him, though I was still wary of his true identity."

Alex let out a small breath he hadn't realized he'd even been holding and stared up at Yassen. The assassin just stared off into space still lost in his story. Alex shifted in his chair making the chains jingle as he did so. This seemed to bring Yassen back to earth. He looked down at Alex.

"Your father was a good man, Alex. A great man. And when I found out the truth about him, I just could not give him up. He meant too much to me."

"So you went to him," Alex said. "I know that."

"I confronted him when we were in prison together. Or the prison that we were taken to by the MI-6. Your father's real bosses." Alex lowered his head.

"Like father, like son," Alex mumbled.

Yassen chuckled. "Indeed."

"So," Alex said as he lifted his head back up to Yassen. "what did you say to him?"

Yassen smiled and looked at the far wall. "I told him what I knew. I told him that I knew his name was John Rider. I knew he lived in Chelsea." He paused and turned to face Alex. "And I knew he had you."

Alex shot a look at Yassen. "How-?"

"He told me. I finally coaxed it out of him. He could not hide it from me. He felt the same about me as I did him. We were brothers, though from different sides of the war but brothers all the same. When he and your mother were killed in that crash, I was hurt. Very hurt. Especially when I remembered you, Alex." He stood up and looked down at Alex. "And that's when it happened. That's when I made my decision." Yassen left his sentence hanging as he folded his hands behind his back and walked back to his chair.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "What decision?" he asked skeptically.

Yassen stopped and turned to face Alex. "The decision, Alex, to take you on as my apprentice…whether you liked it or not."

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Well, guess what time it is? It's time for another cliffy! MWAHAHAHAHA! What's gonna happen now? Ivan's there with Cat, which poses the question…why IS Ivan there with Cat?? And now Yassen has just revealed a very crucial part to this twisted little plot! What's gonna happen to everyone's favorite teen spy now? Find out next time! J Review please!! Thanks!


	14. Contemplation

_Hey, Readers! Oh my goodness it has been a while! My senior year has been a bit hectic! I'm just getting around to typing this! LOL! But enough about me! Here is the long awaited (literally) chapter of NO MORE VACATIONS! Aren't you excited!?! Okay, so you know the story. Therefore, I'll get started! Read and review please!_

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"_IVAN?"_

Cat's eyes were wide as the young CIA agent embraced her. She was still in utter shock as he pulled her away, keeping her at arms length. He studied her shocked face.

"You okay?" he innocently asked.

Cat shook her head, trying to focus on what was happening. That was Ivan, all right. There was no mistaking that posh Northern accent. But how did she not hear it before, when she had been talking to "Renny?" She studied his face. He didn't even look like Ivan. His face was odd and fat where Ivan's was handsome and angular. Ivan's eyes were blue, not Renny's muddy brown. She kept searching his face, looking for some tangible evidence to convince her it really was Ivan.

"Cat? You going to answer me or stare at me all day?" He studied her face, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Her face was suddenly unreadable, a spy's face.

"How do I know you're really Ivan and not someone else?" she skeptically asked, her eyebrow cocked upwards. "Renny" rolled his eyes. With a quick movement, he tugged at his face. To Cat's horror and amazement, the skin peeled away like a mask. She gasped, her mask gone.

"Ivan?" she breathed again.

Staring straight back at her was a brown-eyed version of Ivan. He nodded and pulled out one of the brown contacts in his eyes revealing a perfectly blue eye underneath. A smile found its way to her face as she locked onto the agent's neck.

"It is you, Ivan! Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" He laughed and hugged her back. She squeezed him for a second before releasing him and dropping her arms. "But what exactly are you doing here…dressed like an eighteen year old?"

He gave a sigh. He looked at her face for a moment as if he was judging what to tell her versus what not to tell her.

"My job."

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Yassen walked back to his quarters, his black hood back over his head. He smiled to himself as he thought about Alex and the priceless look on his face when he had given him the news about the apprenticeship. It was too good to forget. The widened and terrified eyes. The hopelessness in them; the disbelief. His gaping mouth opened up as he tried to wrap his mind around what he was being told. He really did look a lot like his father.

Yassen turned the corner and walked down a hallway, still smiling to himself. As he reached one of the many doors lining the hallways, he stopped. Voices were drifting from one of the doors. They were low, a cautious whisper. He closed his eyes, trying to find the voices by his trained senses, something he would eventually teach Alex to do. He smiled a little at that. He was going to have fun teaching that child.

_His_ child now.

_His _agent.

Within a matter of seconds, he had pinpointed where the source of the noise was. It was only a few feet down. Yassen's eyes opened as he searched for the door. Two doors down was a supply closet. That's where the noise was coming from.

He walked silently towards it and paused in front of the door, not wanting to let whoever it was know he was there. It could possibly just be some of his more mischievous students here. But someone like Yassen couldn't be too careful. He stepped closer to the door. The voices became clearer.

"My job," came an unfamiliar voice.

"Your job? You mean _my_ job?" Yassen wrinkled his brow. He had heard that voice somewhere before. He tried to place where. It had to be a new voice, or he would have remembered it immediately.

"Come on, Cat, I'm one of your guardians. I'm here to protect you; don't take it personally," the male argued with an exasperated voice.

_Cat_? Yassen's eyes went wide at the name. He knew exactly who it was. She was Alex's girlfriend. That's where he had heard her voice. He had tapped Alex's phone when he had gotten back from America, a situation Yassen had watched closely.

But what was that girl doing in his school? She was CIA, he remembered bitterly, that's why.

Yassen grit his teeth and leaned in closer to listen.

"Well I do!" she snapped back. "Does the CIA not trust me?"

So the other person was from the CIA as well. "It's not that," he sighed. "It's just that this is kind of a sensitive case, and you're one of our best agents."

Yassen could practically hear Cat's eyes roll. "Whatever."

"So what do you have so far? I've got nothing."

"How did you even get in here?" Cat asked, ignoring his question. "I mean, it took me breaking into stores, fake ID's, fake record…and you just slide on in?"

The man sighed. "The CIA kidnapped the real Renny, and I took his place, okay?"

Yassen glared. They had kidnapped one of his children? This did not make him happy.

"Great. Now we're kidnappers. Lovely." She sighed. "I haven't found out anything either. Alright?" Yassen almost sighed in relief but caught himself before he could make a noise. "The only thing I know is that Alex is here."

"What!?!" the man half yelled. Cat shooshed him.

"Keep it down, Ivan! These doors aren't that thick."

Ivan. He had a name now. Yassen smiled.

"Sorry. You mean like Alex Rider? I thought MI-6 got him. That's what they told us when we asked for his help on this thing."

"It's a government agency, Ivan. They lie all the time. That's their business."

"Your business, too."

"Don't remind me."

Yassen smiled. She sounded a lot like Alex.

"So, have you seen him?"

"Alex? Yeah. He caused a ruckus my second day here. Beat the mess out of a lot of guards. Got his butt kicked back, too. By the leader."

"You've seen him?" Ivan gasped. "The leader?"

"Yeah, haven't you?"

"Nope. Renny's not a good enough fighter to see him." He sighed.

"I think Alex might know him."

"Really?" Ivan's voice was trying to stay at a relatively low level. Yassen could hear him strain his voice.

"Yeah. I talked to him today. He said he knew who it was."

"And…"

Cat waited for a minute. Yassen's heart picked up pace. Had he been revealed? Alex better hope not, he growled to himself. "He didn't tell me." Yassen let out a small sigh of relief.

"What? Why not?"

"I'm not really sure. I mean, we didn't really have time. People walked in while we were talking. But even if he would have had time, I don't think he would have told me."

"Why not?" Yassen leaned in, eager to hear her theory.

"I don't know, but it seems like something happened between the Master and him. Something about Alex's father. That much I know."

"We need to find out the connection, Cat."

She sighed again. "I know. I will. I'm going to try to get in there tonight. Break him out or find out more information. Whichever I can manage."

"What if you get caught?" he asked skeptically.

"I'll be careful. But even if I do, you can come break me out later."

"No."

"Why not?" she snapped.

"Because I'm coming with you. There is no way I'm going to let you do something that dangerous and not be there to share in the adrenaline rush." He heard Cat chuckle.

"All right. But we do this my way. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Meet me at ten tonight."

Yassen smiled in triumph and quickly walked away. He hurried down the corridor. When he reached his office, he quickly punched in the code and opened the door. He threw his coat onto one of the chairs and slipped behind his desk. He pulled a com-link out of his right desk drawer and put it on. He tapped the earpiece.

"Mindy," he said simply.

"Yes, Master," came the girl's voice almost instantly.

"I need you and Chad to do me a favor tonight. At ten."

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Alex sat in his cell, contemplating the horrible things he had been told. He couldn't believe it! Yassen had been planning this. _All _of this. His kidnapping, the training, the apprenticeship...

Alex shivered in disgust. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his sweating forehead on them. He took in a deep breath. He had to clear his mind. If he didn't, he knew he would go crazy thinking about all of this. But at least he learned a little more about his father. More than MI-6 would have ever dared to tell him. They would have known the whole story as well. That was their way.

He tried to keep his mind on his father. John Rider. Double agent of the MI-6. No, that wasn't a good thing to be focusing on. The reason he was in this mess was because of the MI-6, his father, and his uncle. The whole reason he had been recruited by the MI-6 in the first place. The reason he was held captive now…or was it?

Alex's eyes widened. Could it be possible that this could have happened even if he had never been an MI-6 operative? Yassen knew about him from birth, so what was stopping him from taking Alex as his own?

His uncle.

But then his Uncle was taken out of the picture…by Yassen. He could have had him then. But the MI-6 got in the way of that. Of course, that could have been a perk as well. Yassen would have already had him trained by the time he caught him. Alex shook his head.

_Don't think like that,_ he chastised himself. _You'll only get yourself worked up about nothing. You'll get out of this. You always do. Cat's going to get you out…_

At that moment, he heard the door to his cell open. He looked up to see Mindy and Chad standing in the doorway. Chad was holding the button to his bracelet in his right hand, a few ties in his left. He looked them over, his whole body tensed and on alert.

Without a warning, his whole body went rigid as electricity ripped through his body. He screamed in pain and his body flipped down onto the cold ground. He shook uncontrollably as the pain intensified. Tears began to run down his cheeks as the pain grew worse. As rapidly as it had happened, it stopped.

Alex lay on the floor panting and sweating. He tried to move his body but found he couldn't. He was too weak, his muscles spent. He felt a strong hand grip his arms and twist them painfully behind his back. He winced in pain, but he could do nothing about it. He felt the ties being jerked tightly onto his wrists as another set of hands tied his feet together.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Alex gasped, still winded from the electric shock.

"Getting ready for tonight," Chad said solemnly. He jerked Alex up off the floor and sat him upright, being sure to slam his head into the bed post as he did so. The teen's head spun at the contact.

"Ready…for what?" he panted.

Mindy walked over to him and smiled. "Why, your girlfriend, Alex!"

Alex's mind raced. "What?"

"We found her, Alex," she said still cheerful. "And she's coming to see you tonight."

Chad wrapped a cloth around Alex's mouth, gagging him. He smiled as he finished and patted the spy's head.

"And we're going to be ready for her…"

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_Uh-oh! What's going to happen next!?! I know, but you don't! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Well, until next time, my friends! Review please!_


	15. Nine Lives

_Hiya, Readers! Nice to be writing again! Oh, and Merry Late Christmas and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Okay, so I know holiday wishes are not what you wanted to talk about so here we go: Alex has been kidnapped by Yassen, found out the assassin has been planning his capture AND apprenticeship for Alex's entire life, his "school" for the bad kids has found Cat and Ivan out and are setting a trap for them at 10! So there is the update (like you guys need it! Lol) and here goes the next chapter! Read and review! Please and thank you!_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Alex Rider and/or the wonderful characters trapped inside that amazing book or any of Anthony Horowitz's books. I do, however, own Cat, Ivan, and Heather and a few baddies…but definitely NOT Yassen! **_

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Cat slipped through the dark hallways as silently as she could, Ivan close at her heels. As they came to a split in the hallways, Cat motioned for him to stop. Slowly, she peeked around the corner to make sure no one was patrolling Alex's door. With a quiet sigh of relief, she nodded to Ivan that the coast was clear. She was just about to go for it when Ivan tugged her back.

"Hold it, Cat," he whispered as he kept a firm grip on her arm. She glared at him and ripped it away.

"What?" she snapped. "No one's there; that usually means we can go," she rationed with a hint of aggravation in her voice. Ivan studied her face.

"Alex is a good agent, right?"

Cat rolled her eyes. She knew the question was rhetorical and didn't feel like playing these stupid games. He had seen Alex fight, so what was his problem? "What's your point?" She crossed her arms and faced him.

Ivan looked behind him to make sure no one was coming. "If they kidnapped Alex because they knew how good he was, why wouldn't there be more security? He's one of the best escapees I have ever seen. I'm sure the Master would have known that."

Cat considered Ivan's proposal, his reasoning making sense to her. She sighed. "Okay, I get it. So what do want us to do?"

"Just…be cautious. Overly cautious would be great."

Cat smiled. "Oh, Ivan, that was the plan!" she giggled quietly. "Besides, you know me…"

"Exactly my point."

Ignoring his sarcasm, Cat slid silently down the hallway towards the cell door. As quickly and quietly as she could, she began to punch in the code the door used at night. She heard a click of a gun behind her. On alert she whirled around. Ivan smiled up at her apologetically and lowered his gun. "Sorry," he whispered. Cat smiled and returned to the door. With a silent swish, the door opened.

The two agents noiselessly scoped out the room, Cat pulling out her own silencer. With Ivan taking her six, she quietly slipped over to where Alex's cell was. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw him sitting by the bedpost. She couldn't see his face because of the darkness and the fact that it was hanging down. She studied him for a minute. Was he asleep? She looked over at Ivan who just shrugged and kept a lookout.

"Alex?" she whispered. He didn't move. Cat gulped. What was wrong with him? "Alex!" she said a little louder. Suddenly, Alex's head whipped up, fear in his eyes. Cat saw the gag in his mouth and the frantic look in his eyes a little too late.

With a bright flash, the lights came on. Cat whipped around to see Mindy standing at the light switch, one hand on the switch and another curled around a pistol that was aimed straight at her.

"Hiya, _Nissa," _she sneered. "Nice of you to drop in. We thought you'd never come."

Cat looked at her, her own gun leveled with Mindy's. "What do you mean, 'we'?"

"I'm here, too," came Chad's voice. Ivan aimed his weapon at the tall figure on the other side of the room. Chad stepped out of the darkness, pointing another gun at the two agents. More lights began to come on in the brig, lighting up other cells around the room. Cat gasped.

All around them were several of the best students from the school and a few teachers all holding guns on the two spies. "Drop it," Mindy said with a smirk. Cat glared at her keeping her pistol up; Ivan followed her lead and did the same. With a screech, one of the cell doors opened. Cat's eyes went wide as Alex, bound hand and foot, was dragged out of his cell by one of the students. A gun was held to his temple. Cat grit her teeth. Slowly, she began to lower her weapon despite Alex's warning look. Cat continued to lower the gun giving him a tiny, hopeless smile. Alex couldn't take it.

With a flick of his head, he slammed into the face of his captor. The boy, no older than thirteen, yelped and dropped Alex on the floor. Without any hesitation, Cat sprung into action slamming her foot into Mindy's abdomen. The gun flew out of her hand and landed with a clatter onto the concrete floor. Ivan sprung into action as well. He disarmed most of the teens around Cat and him, slicing away the bonds on Alex's ankles with a knife he had drawn. Alex stood to join the brawl using only his feet to fend off his attackers.

Mindy started swinging well calculated punches at Cat. Seeing that it was more of a hindrance than help, Cat holstered her gun and began to fight back. As she dodged and ducked several punches from Mindy, she made sure to keep an eye on Alex just in case. Every time Cat swung a punch, Mindy countered it with one of her own and vice versa. They were getting no where fast. They were too evenly matched.

"You know," said Mindy as the two circled each other, taking a bit of a breather but still keeping their eyes on each other. "I really never liked you," she hissed as she kicked out her foot, aiming for Cat's stomach. The CIA agent nimbly sidestepped the oncoming assault and caught Mindy's ankle.

"Well, the feeling was mutual. Besides…" She jerked Mindy's foot hard causing her to crash painfully into the ground. "I didn't like the way you looked at my boyfriend."

Mindy rolled out of the way as Cat's foot came crashing down where her head used to be. "Oh, so he _is _yours?" Mindy rolled to her feet lashing out and smashing a foot into Cat's stomach. The teen spy was ready and absorbed the blow. "That's too bad, but then again that's nice to know," Mindy continued.

"Nice to know?" Cat asked as she tossed a punch towards Mindy.

"Of course, because if he's yours I bet you wouldn't want me to press this, huh?" The girl pulled out a little switch from her pocket, her finger floating above the button. Cat's eyes widened. That was the trigger to the bracelet Alex was wearing!

Cat grit her teeth. "Nope."

"Then you better give up." Cat stood perfectly still, her calm mask displayed on her face. Mindy smiled as she thought she finally had her. After a slight pause, Cat began to grin; Mindy's smirk fell from her face.

"Not a chance!" Cat lashed out, smashing her foot into Mindy's hand; the trigger flew into the air. Mindy leapt for it, diving into the mass of swirling and fighting bodies. Cat hurriedly ran for Ivan who was currently knocking out his fifth student.

"Ivan!" she gasped frantically as she began knocking and punching her way towards him. "Get the trigger!"

"Trigger?" he asked as he threw a girl over his shoulder. "What trigger?"

"The one to Alex's bracelet!" she shouted frantically.

Suddenly, a buzz echoed through the room followed by a muffled scream. Cat caught her breath, searching for Alex. She knocked a boy out of the way as she plowed her way through the crowd, searching desperately for Alex and praying it wasn't him who screamed. But after a few seconds, she found him, her fears confirmed as he sat writhing in pain. His screams were muffled by the gag as the electricity ripped through his body, getting worse the longer it was on.

"Stop!" screamed Cat in tears as she kneeled by Alex, holding his shaking body in her arms. "Stop, please!" she shouted at Mindy. A gun shot rang out above the crowd causing every person in the room to duck instinctively.

Mindy stepped out of the crowd, Alex's trigger in one hand and a gun in the other. She pointed the gun at a still fighting Ivan. "Stop," she hissed at Ivan. The spy caught a glimpse of the gun and Alex writhing around in Cat's arms, the boy's stifled cries of pain the only sound in the room. Ivan growled but dropped the unconscious boy in his hands. Mindy nodded in satisfaction and pointed the gun back at Cat.

"Stand up." Cat looked down at Alex, tears streaming down her face as he kept convulsing in agony. She nodded and gently laid Alex's head down on the floor. "Kick your weapons away," she ordered the spies. Cat pulled the gun out of it's holster with her left hand and dropped it and kicked it away, raising her hands above her head in surrender. Ivan reluctantly did the same.

Several of the students converged on the pair, grasping their arms and binding them behind their backs. Mindy lowered her gun when the pair was secured and looked down at a pain struck Alex still rolling helplessly on the floor. She gave him a look of pity and clicked the device off. The teen spy let out a tiny gasp of relief and opened his eyes. Mindy lowered herself to his level and smiled down at him.

"Sorry about that," she whispered. "but your girlfriend wouldn't cooperate with us." Alex lifted his eyes to see Cat staring down at him, tears streaming from her eyes. She gave him a small smile. He looked back at Mindy who motioned to the boy who had been holding Alex before…the kid with the bloodied up nose.

The boy glared at Alex and jerked him off of the ground holding him by the back of his shirt. The spy growled and began to struggle against his captor, but the boy held him down. Mindy walked up to Alex, a mischievous grin creeping over her face. She stepped up to him and pulled the gag away from his mouth being sure to run a hand gently across his cheek. Cat glowered as Mindy lifted another hand to Alex's face placing it gently on the left side. Alex tried to jerk his face away, but the gun at his temple prevented any sort of movement.

"I've always liked you…Cobra," she cooed as she rubbed his face with her thumb. Alex heard Cat growl. "I thought you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever laid eyes on, and I knew whenever I got the chance that I would do this."

Before he could stop her, Mindy jerked Alex's face to hers, kissing him. Alex's eyes widened in bewilderment. Cat yelled out in anger. Without thinking about it, Alex shoved a knee into Mindy's stomach causing her to stumble back in pain and surprise. She glared at him. Alex glared back before spitting on the floor.

"I hate cherry," he snapped. He heard Cat snicker behind him. Mindy gave a snort of outrage and slammed a fist into the side of Alex's face. His head flew to the side from the impact, black spots dancing in his vision and blood trickling out of his mouth. "Ow…"

"Take them away," she ordered. Cat and Ivan were dragged out of the room first, pulling and fighting the whole way. They lead the two down the hall and to the left. Where they were headed, Alex had no clue…and he didn't like that.

"As for you," Mindy hissed staring Alex down. "you're coming with me." She jerked him away from the boy holding him and pulled him down the hallway keeping a painful grip on his forearm.

"I hope you really do have nine lives, Alex," came Chad's voice as he followed close behind. "Because the last guy who dissed her wound up dead…"

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_MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Okay, so not the best chapter, but the other chapter is on it's way. This was just sort of an adrenaline rush thing! If you liked it, tell me! Review, please! Thanks!_


	16. Back For Revenge

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Oh my, I am soooo sorry guys! Its been forever since I last updated; I am SOOOOOO sorry! Im a senior in HS this year, so its been pretty tough getting to the computer to write my stories! But anyway, who cares about me! What about Alex and Cat and Ivan??? The last you guys read, they were all captured and being split upAlex going with a really angry Mindy (since he did diss her). So here goes the rest of the story!

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Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of Anthony Horowitzs wonderful characters, but I do own Cat, Ivan, Heather, Mindy, and Chad

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"Cat."

A boot slammed into the solid oak door causing the girl spy to curse in pain as her foot bounced off the sturdy wood with a resounding thud.

"Cat!"

She slammed a fist on it and yelped as her knuckles popped, blood seeping out through a gash on her hand.

"CAT! Cut it out!"

Cat glanced over her shoulder shooting Ivan an icy glare. With a defiant growl, she smashed her shoulder into the door one last time before dropping down on the ground in pain and frustration, a tear trickling down her face. How could she have been so stupid? She should have listened to Ivan in the first place. Getting into Alex's room had definitely been too easy. It had all been a setup. She should have known that it was a bad idea, but, as usual, her emotions got the best of her. They always did.

She heard Ivan move over toward her. "You are one stupid kid, you know that?" he said with a chuckle as he sat down next to her. Cat looked over at him and gave a weak smile. He grabbed her bloodied and bruised hand and examined it. "Sheesh, kiddo, you really did a number on your hand." He set her hand down and ripped off a piece of his shirt and wrapped it around her knuckles with a practiced hand. She had always been so hard on herself.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I think I taught that door a lesson." Ivan chuckled as he finished tying the makeshift bandage.

"Oh, sure," he joked. "it really looks like it."

Cat smiled and leaned her head back against the door that had caused her so much pain. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. "So, how the mess do you suppose we get outta this one?" She tilted her head over to him opening up her eyes. He rested his head on the door as well.

"Good question." He thought for a minute. "Can't wait for Alex to pull a escape on this one I suppose. Kid's gotta be running out of steam by now. He's a lot like you; he doesnt know when to stop," he said with a sigh.

Cat shrugged and stood up again to face the door. "True that. Maybe that's why we're so great together," she giggled.

Ivan rolled his eyes. "True that," he mocked.

Cat giggled. They sat there in silence, both spies contemplating their situation. Cat bit her lip and tapped her head on the door. She slowly stood up. "Guess well have to figure something out ourselves."

Ivan sighed and rolled his eyes again. "What? Hit the door until it wears down? Genius," he said dryly.

"We could try that," she placed her hands on her hips and pulled a small pouch out of her pants pocket. Ivan squinted his eyes to see what it was. "or we could use something I might've swiped back from the idiots bringing us here." She opened up the small bag to reveal a lock picking kit.

Ivan gave a grunt. "And you couldn't have thought of that before you started beating up a door? Or the door started beating you? I really couldn't tell the difference."

Cat stuck her toungue out at him.

"I was angry," she commented as she moved to the door. "It was either hit you or the door..."

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Mindy threw Alex down on the floor of Yassen's office, kicking him as he fell. Black dots played at the edge of his vision as the air was knocked out of him for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. He curled into a ball, trying to alleviate his pain, but with all the events in the past 12 hours he wasnt sure if he could keep up this brave façade for much longer. He'd been faking it most of the way through this hell and wasn't sure if he'd be able to do it much longer. At first, he was running on pure energy, then adrenaline and defiance, and eventually just plain luck. But he was pretty sure, lying there with tears in his eyes as pain and exhaustion began to overtake his body, that his luck was beginning to run out. Staying awake was slowly starting to become harder, and staying strong was becoming a burden he was sure he couldn't carry. He was breaking, and he knew it. He was breaking, and _they _knew it.

Chad stepped in beside Mindy shutting and locking the door behind them. He looked down at the shaking and pale form of the teen spy and smiled. He pushed an angry Mindy out of the way and kneeled down beside Alex. He looked down into the beaten and bruised face and smiled at the faltering strength of the cocky spy.

"Not so tough now, are you?" he mocked. Alex looked down at the floor, ignoring him. What was the point in retorting? It always ended badly for him anyway. "Though, I must give you props. I dont think I could have lasted as long as you have under these circumstances. You really do live up to your reputation, Cobra."

Alex glanced up at Chad and gave him a weak grin. "I am what I am," he managed to choke out. He lowered his head back down on the floor, his eyes becoming heavy as his need for sleep tugged at him.

Chad grinned and looked up at Mindy. "He's got spirit. I definitely think he's the one." Alex cracked open his eyes.

"The one?"

Mindy snorted. "Yeah, yeah, but how are was supposed to get him out of here without any one knowing? Securities tight, and I may have connections but not _that_ many."

Alexs eyes opened more, confusion evident on his face. "What in the world are you two on about?" he asked, his voice coming out in a whisper. Chad looked down at him and put a finger to his lips.

"Hush, little spy, and let the grown ups talk," he chuckled.

Alex did his best to glare at him. "If my hands weren't tied behind my back..." The teen let the threat hang in the air.

Chad rolled his eyes. "Well, they are, so shut up." He flicked Alex on the head causing his already awful migraine to explode. He quickly shut his eyes as the wave of pain caused his stomach to lurch and sent the room spinning, the lights suddenly becoming too bright. He decided that, for the sake of his health, he should keep silent...for now.

"All we have to do is get outside with him; James will take care of it from there," Chad started again, his voice echoing agonizingly loud inside Alexs head.

"But thats the problem, isnt it?" Mindy came back. Alex heard her feet pacing across the room. "How do we get out of this whole in the earth without rousing any suspicion? Its not going to be easy."

He heard Chad laugh. "It never is. SCORPIA always makes it that much harder."

Alex's breath caught in his throat as the words slapped him hard in his face. He opened his eyes, ignoring the pain that erupted in his head as he did so, and stared at Chad and Mindy.

"SCORPIA?" he asked in a strangled whisper.

Chad looked down and smiled. Oh, how Alex hated that smile. "Thats right my little friend, SCORPIA;s back...and out for revenge..."

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Well, hows that for a cliff hanger? HAHAHAHAHAHA! Hoped you liked it, and I am SOOOOOO sorry for not updating sooner! But was it worth the wait? I hope so! I know its not as long, but this looked like a perfect time to stop! Well, not for you guys, but heyIm the writer! LOL Okay, so review!


	17. Deception

_Hey, Readers! I am SO sorry its taken me so long to get this stupid chapter up! Ive had writers block for a while, and I'm sure all of you out there can understand. Fortunately, I found salvation in writing a Mentalist fan fiction that helped me get back to my AR and NCIS fic! Haha! Thank goodness for therapy aka FAN FICTION! Okay, so enough about my dumbness...let's move on with the long awaited NMV chapter, shall we?_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Alex Rider or any of the characters in Anthony Horowitz's wonderful books. I do, however, own Cat and Ivan and Heather and SOME of the bad guys that do not belong to AH.**_

_**RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER-RIDER**_

_"That's right my little friend. SCORPIA's back...and out for revenge..."_

The ominous words bounced around Alex's head as he was dragged across the floors of the school's hallways, his mind still in complete shock. The thought was too much for him to handle in his state. SCORPIA was still alive. Still alive and out for revenge...on him. The same agency that had killed his uncle, his mother and father, and had tried to kill him was back in play. Back to finish the job they started two years before.

Ever since he had heard the infamous agency's name, he had tried to think of some sort of escape plan to get Cat, Ivan, and himself out alive. But in his weak state, he didn't see that happening. He was helpless and completely at the mercy of the dreaded agency. The things they probably had planned for him...

The thought made him shudder.

"Stand up," came Chad's voice. Alex's mind was pulled from his horrifying thoughts of torture and slow death as the two young agents jerked his arms. Alex's stomach swirled violently at the sudden movement, but he ignored the nausea and complied with little resistance. The teen shakily tried to put his feet down on the linoleum, but his head was spinning too wildly to do so. He groaned as the ground beneath him kept shifting here and there, his stomach once again lurching at the dizzying sight.

"I-I can't," he managed to croak out. "The ground...it's spinning too fast."

He heard Mindy growl. "Do it, or I'll give you the shock of your life." She brought up Alex's bracelet control and waved it in his face.

The quick, jerky movement caused Alex's stomach and head to scream in pain. He shut his eyes as a fresh wave of nausea hit him. "You keep waving that stupid thing in my face," he whispered. "and you're going to have to clean up whatever I spill out." The controller quit waving as Mindy thought about what he had just said.

"Ew," was her simple answer. She pulled the controller away from his face quickly.

Despite everything, Alex grinned. "Thank you. You made the right choice for me," He looked down at her feet. "and your footwear."

Chad sighed. "Can you at least help us get you up the steps?"

Alex looked up to see a tall stairway in front of him. Or maybe it was two? He couldn't tell. Oh, he wished the world would quit spinning! He decided to play it off.

"Why should I make this easier for you guys?" he said with a sly smile to all three of Chad's heads. He felt an unbearable squeeze on his arm and cried out in pain.

"That's why," Mindy said, a sadistic grin on her face.

Alex turned to her, his breathing harder. "Point taken." He looked back up at the swirling staircase. "Shall we go?"

**__**

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"You are a genius."

"I know."

Cat and Ivan crept silently down the empty corridors of the school. They paused and pulled themselves against the walls as they prepared to round the corner. No one was there.

"Clear," she whispered. They began moving again.

"I mean, really. How the heck did you do that anyway?" Ivan asked as they moved slowly down the halls, Cat in the lead.

"I pick pocketed. I didn't always use to be a good girl, you know," she said with a mischievous giggle.

Ivan made a little snorting noise. "Yeah, I know. That's how we found you. You were stupid enough to steal the head of the CIA's wallet."

Cat smiled at the memory. "That was funny...well, it was after he didn't have me arrested." She paused when she heard a footstep; Ivan did the same. It was headed opposite of them, so they moved on. "Apparently," she continued as the footsteps disappeared. "stealing from a government official is a great resume."

She heard Ivan chuckle. "Only if you get away with it," he added.

"Which...I did," she said with pride.

Ivan opened his mouth to say something else, but Cat quickly raised up a hand. Voices trickled down the hallway. They were close. Cautiously, they moved up the hallway toward the voices. There were three of them, and their voices told her they were students. She strained her ears to hear what the three people were talking about.

"Why should I make this easier for you guys?" Cat's heart skipped a beat at the sound of Alex's voice. There was a pause before a startling cry of pain. _Alex's_ cry of pain. An impulse took over her that she could not explain. Cat's body suddenly shot forward toward her boyfriend's pained voice. Luckily, Ivan's hands were quick.

"Cat!" he whispered harshly, tugging her back as quickly as possible.

"That's why."

Cat gritted her teeth and strained against Ivan's faltering grip as Mindy's voice drifted their way.

Ivan desperately tried to hold her back. "Cat! Listen to me! If you go now, you will ruin any chance of us getting Alex back in one piece. Put your motions aside and _focus_, girl!"

The spy's words hit her hard. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. If she just ran up to them with no plan whatsoever, there was no telling all the damage they would do to Alex. She sighed and nodded to Ivan. He slowly released her, watching her closely in case he needed to grab her again.

"So, what do we do?" she asked, slightly back in control. She took another deep breath as she heard Alex speak again. Footsteps followed.

Ivan thought for a few seconds. "Follow them," he finally said. "But from a distance."

She nodded. "Okay." She looked back over at him. "But you may want to go in front of me."

He wrinkled his brow. "Why?"

"Because," she said, her voice dangerously low. "if I hear Mindy hurting my boy again, I _will_ kill her."

**__**

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They had found him.

Yassen ran as quickly as he could down the hallway, his boots soundlessly gliding across the ground. His breath was coming out in small, controlled intervals as he sprinted through the hallways of his school. Sweat beaded his forehead and lips, but it wasn't out of fatigue.

It was out of _fear._

Fear was not something he normally felt. He hadn't experienced the feeling in a while. But that didn't mean he didn't remember what it felt like. He knew all too well what it felt like, and the feeling was overtaking him now.

They had found him. They knew he was and were probably there now.

And he was pretty sure who "they" were. He knew SCORPIA would find him eventually; but he was hoping that by the time they had figured it all out, he would have already died of old age. He didn't want to think of how he would die now that they _had _found him. No one leaves SCORPIA alive. It was against their rules to leave any loose ends. And Yassen was _definitely _a loose end.

And, the worse part: it was all his fault. If he would have been more careful in his choosing of students, none of this would have happened. He had gotten to attached. To attached to people who turned on him in an instant. They had been against him since the beginning.

Mindy and Chad had betrayed him. They had played him for a fool, and he had let them. He had suspicions about Mindy and Chad the moment they had arrived. There was something about them that seemed off. But because they had been such excellent fighters and students, he had agreed to let them in despite the nagging thoughts in the back of his mind. It wasn't until now, as he was running frantically down the hallways, that he realized what it was that made him suspicious. They were good...too good.

_SCORPIA _good.

And now, because of his stupidity, his old agency had found him...and they had Alex.

Out of everything that he could have been worried about, Yassen was more concerned for Alex's well-being. SCORPIA would be more than thrilled to have another crack at the teen; and the last time he had seen Alex, he had been completely depleted of adrenaline. There was no way the boy could make one of his amazing escapes in his condition.

It was all his fault. Yassen had pushed him hard in the past twelve hours...too hard. Of course, the boy _had _pushed back; but it was still no excuse. He had run the boy ragged, and now he was completely defenseless against the two SCORPIA agents he had seen forcefully dragging Alex out of his office.

Now he had to save him.

Yassen had almost taken on the two teenagers by himself, but he knew better. SCORPIA would have back up waiting for them. If the two teens didn't show with their prize in a certain amount of time, a dozen more agents would be there to take their place. Yassen was good...but not _that _good. He needed back up. He already had his assistant, Gerald, watching the outside of the complex; but that wouldn't be enough. He needed more help. Unfortunately, his help had disappeared...

Yassen rounded the corner to the room where they had locked the other two spies only to find the door wide open. He cursed aloud as he saw the empty room. They had escaped. _Of course they escaped, _he thought with a chuckle. It _was _Alex's girlfriend he had locked up. She was just as resourceful as the little spy. She had to be in order to keep up with Alex.

Yassen sighed and rubbed a hand over his sweaty face. He placed his hands on his hips and closed his eyes, listening. He had developed a very keen sense of hearing during his training with SCORPIA. Keen enough that he could hear two voices whispering down the hallway. He focused in and smiled. It was the American spies. He had found them. As quickly as he could, Yassen made his way to the towards them.

__

I just hope I get to him in time...

****

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"Alex! Cut it out!"

Chad jerked the teenager as hard as he could, trying to right the fallen boy. Alex cried out in pain and surprise as the world started to go black. He couldn't put up with this for much longer. His body just wanted to sleep. It hurt too badly to be awake. He felt another jerk as he began to drop off again. He grit his teeth and did his best to find the floor beneath him.

"You know," he said softly. "you might as well just leave me here. I'm just a dead weight anyway, and that's what your bosses want. Me..._dead_. That's the revenge you're talking about." Alex felt the two teens pause. The teen spy looked up to see them smiling of all things. He blinked up in confusion. "That _is _what they want, isn't it? They want revenge on me?" he asked more than stated.

Chad chuckled. He actually chuckled. Alex wasn't sure he knew what was funny about this whole situation; but if it kept him from walking for a millisecond or two, he didn't really care.

"You really are as arrogant as they say," he smiled.

Alex blinked. Those two heads of his were _really _starting to get on his nerves. "Why do you say that?"

"You think this is all about you? That's rich," Mindy chimed in with a snort.

Alex rolled his eyes. _Oh, don't do that again, _he thought as his head sent a shock wave of pain through his nerves. "You guys care to explain any of this to me? My head already hurts enough without you two idiots going cryptic on me." He bit his lip as Mindy squeezed his arm again.

"It really would be good for your health if you would quit insulting us," Chad hissed.

Alex bit back the pain. "Once again...point taken." Chad nodded and tried to continue up the stairs. "But I still want some questions answered," Alex said, pulling back as much as he could. _Just keep stalling, _he told himself. _If I know Cat, she's already on her way to get me. _

_"_Just move," Mindy growled.

Alex did his best to hold his position. "I could just start screaming right now, you know. I'm already about to pass out. What more could you do to me?"

Chad bit his lip in thought, studying the teen. He gave a heavy sigh. "Fine." He looked Alex in the eyes. "You weren't the original target," he said simply. He tried to tug Alex up the stairs.

"Uh-uh," Alex said stubbornly. "If I'm going to move any faster than this, you better give me more than that." His ears pricked up. Did he hear footsteps?

Chad rolled his eyes. "You're a pain in the butt, you know that?"

"So I'm told," he retorted. He heard another footstep. There were two of them. His heart fluttered.

_Please let that be Cat..._

He raised his eyebrows. "I wasn't the original target? Then, who was?

Chad and Mindy exchanged looks.

"Yassen."

**__**

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Okay, so...how did you like it? Worth waiting for? I hope so. Tell me what you thought! Thanks!


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